Family Feud
by Joise
Summary: AU: The Lockhart's and the Brady's are mob families who have had a feud that has gone over three generations. What would happen if the future Godfather of the Brady clan fell in love with the mob princess from the Lockharts? SHIMI
1. Proluge

**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters. They are owned by NBC and Ken Corday. I have no money, I just graduated from grad school...so go ahead an sue me for my student loans if you'd like.**  
**

**Family Feud**

**By Joise**

**AN: **This story is very AU. There is a feud between the Brady's and the Lockhart's that have been going on for many years. It's similar to the DiMera/Brady feud. I named Mimi's grandfather Brian, just using Patrick's middle name I got from Beth's site from the family tree. Also, Zach is alive in this story

**Background Information**

The feud between the Lockhart's and the Brady's has been around for so many years that the youngest generation didn't even know why the hatred was still there, but it was. Bo, Roman, Hope and the rest of the Brady's still remember the torment Brian Lockhart caused in their lives. They only had one mission in mind: Take down the Lockhart Dynasty once and for all. David wasn't there to know how the feud started, he just knew he had to finish his father's work and that was to destroy Shawn Brady Sr.'s family. And he was going to do that. The hatred and the feud did not end with this generation of Brady's and Lockhart's, they all to remember the unspeakable acts of one Brian Lockhart, Mimi's grandfather. But what about the next generation? Will the hatred finally end with Patrick and Mimi Lockhart, Shawn and Zach Brady? Or will the hatred claim this generation and seep into the next? Will the hatred ever run dry?

Or will true love truly conqueror all as Alice Horton once claimed it did. Will the forbidden love between and Lockhart and a Brady finally end the feud that continued for 60 plus years? Or will it just ignite a new fire of hatred to burn on for many years to come? Will true love conqueror hate? Or destroy the young lovers?

**Prologue **

The Salem Spectator has been sold out within the first twenty minutes the paper hit the stand. How could it not with the headline like this: _"From Family Feud Comes Love!"_ The subtitle read: _"Shawn Douglas Brady and Mimi Lockhart Caught in Forbidden Love Affair."_ A nice 5 x 7 photo color photo of the young lovers kissing on the park benching kissing passionately catches the attention of the buyer. How could a person walking by not see the sparks from that kiss that could easily set that paper on fire?

David and Patrick Lockhart are sitting at the breakfast table with paper in hand, fuming over the headline and the betrayal of Mimi Lockhart, his daughter, his sister falling in love with the enemy.

David slammed his paper on the table, "Shawn Douglas Brady will pay for this with his life!" he yelled, his voice echoing throughout the room, "And Miriam," he voice growled as he pushed his chair away from the table and stormed out of the room, "when I get my hands on that girl, they will be hell to pay. Daughter or not, this will not go unpunished!"

Patrick was taken back a bit; he had seen his father angry before, but never like this. He had not clue what his father would do to his sister and that thought scared him. As much as he loved his sister and wanted to protect, he couldn't save her from their father's wrath. And Shawn, he really didn't care what happened to Shawn-Douglas Brady.

Bo, Roman, Hope and Zach Brady were lost over this story. The story that told about their son/brother's love for the enemy, Bo and Hope felt so betrayed and knew that Mimi need to be eliminated for Shawn's life.

"I'll call Victor," Bo said, "I'm sure he can help us keep those two apart."

"And keep Shawn alive," Zach whispered. He knew this was going to happen, that his brother's love for her and hers for him would someday destroy them all. Someday was now, and the knowledge of their affair was no longer a secret. He just hoped that Shawn didn't blame him for this leak. Zach had been a faithful brother and friend, keeping their secret for them.

"David Lockhart will not kill my son!" Bo said in anger, "I will not allow it!"

"How could Shawn be so stupid!" Roman said, "He was just suppose to get information on Lockhart…not….not! God I can't even say it!"

"Mimi Lockhart is nothing but an eye sore," Hope said dismissively, "I will not allow her to poison my son! She will not be the reason he dies!"

Zach leaned back and sighed, Shawn and Mimi weren't even in town to know that the bomb just exploded. He had to find them, to warn them. "I'm going to see if I can track down Shawn," Zach said, "I'll find him before Lockhart can."

"You're a good boy," Bo said as he watched his son leave the house. He was unaware of Zach's role in this forbidden affair and Zach was terrified of his reaction when he did find out.

"I hope you're at your safe haven Shawn," Zach said, "because otherwise you're a dead man."

Shawn was waiting for her to arrive at their secret place, the Horton cabin or their safe haven as they like to refer to it as. It was their safe haven from the world, from the hatred that consumed their families. They never excepted to fall in love, but they did. And now these walls and Zach were the only ones that knew of their love. These walls knew the intimate and passionate love that belonged to Shawn and Mimi. A love that defied their parents, the feud, and a century of hatred. A strong longing that they couldn't deny anymore, a hunger for the other one that was too much to bear. They needed to be with each other, the ached to be with the other one.

Shawn hated the word good-bye, because saying good-bye to her was getting to harder and harder to say to her, his love. He loved her more than his own life and she knew it. She loved him the same way, they defeated all odds. They fell in love and he would never let that feeling go, he would never let her go.

Mimi finally made it to the cabin, their safe haven. She was trembling from the news; somehow, someone found out about their love and sold it to the papers. It would be only a matter of time before their families found out and tried to tear them apart. Their lives where in danger, she had no doubt in her mind her family was looking for Shawn's blood and his for hers. She knew by tomorrow the rest of their secrets would be revealed as well; the truth will destroy them all. She's no longer Miriam Lockhart daughter of David and Bonnie Lockhart and third generation of this hatred, this feud. No, she wasn't that anymore, she was Miriam Brady, wife of her one true love Shawn Brady, whom he affectedly called Meems or baby and mother of the child she just discovered she was carrying.

Shawn looked up and saw his wife standing there. _"Wife,"_ he thought to himself, he still couldn't get over the fact that his gorgeous and caring woman was his wife. That thought still brought a smile to his face, but it quickly faded away when he saw the trembling form that was his beloved. "Baby what's wrong?" he asked getting off of the couch and running to her side.

She didn't understand why he could be so happy in a time like this? A time when their world started to crumble and so much more. "They know," she whispered as the newspapers fell from her shaking hands. She watched him read the headlines, she witnessed his facial changes. He didn't know.

Saying that he was stunned or shocked would be the understatement of the century as he read the headline to the Salem Spectator. He bent down and pushed aside that paper to look at the other papers she had brought. They had made the front page in every one.

"_Love does conquer all: Shawn Douglas Brady and Mimi Lockhart in Love."_

"_Hate thy Enemy? Daughter of David Lockhart caught loving son of Bo Brady."_

"_Real or Hoax? Is this really young love?"_

"_Modern day Romeo and Juliet. Shawn Douglas Brady and Miriam Lockhart in Love!"_

Each headline had its own picture of Shawn and Mimi together. Someone invaded their intimate moments with a camera and sold it to the highest bidder. He looked up at his wife; she was still shaking from the news as the tears rolled down her cheeks. He wiped away her tears, "They can't break us up," he said taking her into his arms, "You're my wife, I'm you're husband. They can just all go to hell."

"My father will kill you," she said in tears, "our baby will never know its father." She couldn't hold in her heart break anymore and cried in his arms.

"I'm not going to…." it took a moment for her sentence to fully register, "Baby? Did you just say baby?" He broke from their embrace to look her in the eyes.

"I'm pregnant," she whispered as she let the four positive pregnancy tests drop to the floor. One read pregnant, another had a plus sign, the other two showed two lines.

"We're having a baby!" he said excitingly, "We're having a baby!" He picked her up and spun her around. He kissed her passionately, then bent down to kiss her stomach where their baby was growing. He looked into her loving eyes as he stood up again. He couldn't help but notice the terror in her eyes; he didn't understand why she wasn't happy, "What's wrong? You're happy about the baby right?"

"Yes," she said, "and no."

He looked into her eyes and understood, it was about her father. David Lockhart would never allow their baby to live. He would never allow a Brady to father his grandchildren. He would soon kill him, the baby, and possibility Mimi to keep this baby from living. He took his trembling wife back into his arms, "David can't hurt us," he said wanting to believe it. But he knew that David was probably already planning his death.

"No it's not Shawn!" she said, "My father is going to kill you and our baby! He hates the Brady's! He doesn't want our baby to live! He doesn't want Brady and Lockhart blood mixing like this!"

"Shish," Shawn said, "we'll figure something out."

"Don't you dare talking to me like I'm a child!" Mimi said, "Our lives are at risk! We should have ranaway when the had the chance!"

"Listen to me!" Shawn said raising his voice, "I will not allow that man to lay one finger on my family. I would die before I let that happen!"

"He will," she said, "he's out there now looking for me, for you."

"Baby…" But he was cut off by the radio.

"Breaking news! Families in up roar. Shawn Brady and Mimi Lockhart's affair out in the open. But what all of Salem is wondering, how did these two go from hatred to love…"

Shawn sighed as he turned it off, wishing he could have gotten to it sooner. But who knew that Salem would be so boring tonight that their love would make breaking news. He looked at her and excepted tears but he found laughter, "What's so funny?"

"All of Salem wants to know how we fell in love Shawn," Mimi said, "don't you feel special?"

"I already am special because I have you," Shawn said giving her a kiss, "I don't care about the outside world right now. All I care about is you and this wonderful news that we're going to have a baby."

"Yeah," she said with a huge grin on her face, "to hell with the rest of the world!"

"That's the girl I fell in love with," he said smiling as he kissed her again. They kisses got more passionate by the second as he scoped her up in his arms and carried her to the bed.

**AN: **Please review and let me know what you think.


	2. The Telling of the Story

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Chapter 1 The Telling of the Story**

Zach turned off the radio upon hearing the same report Shawn and Mimi just heard. "You want to know how they fell in love?" Zach said to morning sky, "I can tell you how. It all started two years ago when my father and my brother came up with a fool proof plan to get information to take down the Lockhart's once and for all. They would go after the weakest link, the weakest link being none other than Miriam Lockhart, or Mimi as she goes by," Zach sighed as he looked up at the sky, "I wish you were here Gran, you could have stopped the madness that was my brother and his fool proof plan. Only it wasn't fool proof because the fools fell for it. They fell in love. Shawn was only suppose to get close to Mimi, to get information. He never got that information he needed but what he got instead was her heart."

He looked over the waters as they looked calm, but then again it was always calm before the storm. "So you do want to know how it happened, supposedly all of Salem wants to know. Let me take you on a journey, the journey about the forbidden love of Mimi and Shawn. It begins two years ago, when it was no secret about the hatred between the two families. Uncle Roman and dad knew something big was about to go down in the Lockhart operations…they just didn't know what. Belle and Brady Black blamed David for John and Marlena's death. When John's plane exploded it was only meant to kill him, David had no clue that Marlena decided to go on last moment. It was until it was too late to do anything but live with the knowledge that he killed the woman he claimed to love most in this world. His love killed her. But what no one knew until the DNA tests were made on an unknown passenger in the plane was that Bonnie Lockhart was also on that plane. It was Bonnie's unexplained presence on the plane that freed David from any charges. No one dare accuse that grieving widower of killing his own wife. Family means everything to the Lockhart's as well as the Brady's…we don't kill our own. But my dad and Uncle Roman believed David did not know his wife was on the plane. She was caught in the cross fire of the feud and David's infatuation with Marlena Evans Black. And that's what Uncle Roman and Dad thought was going to happen, that he was moving in to kill another member of their family to avenge the death of his wife and one true love Marlena. This is where Shawn got his hair brain idea that they went for; not knowing the full impact of what this plan would bring. Two years later, the repercussions are finally out in the open. It all started two years ago at my house, when they were discussing….."

_Two years earlier_

Bo, Roman, and Shawn Brady sat around the kitchen table discussing the current dilemma they had with the Lockharts.

"He's up to something Roman," Bo said slamming his fist on the table, "he's planning to attack I know it."

"There has been no movement in the Lockhart dynasty in weeks Dad," Shawn said.

"It's always calm before the storm Shawn," Roman said, "David does that to make himself look innocent. Look what happened last time, John and Marlena died in that explosion!"

"Okay," Shawn said throwing his hands up in mock surrender, "but if it's like how you say we're not going to know until he attacks. And by then it's too late."

"I will not let him harm another person I care about," Bo said with conviction, "We need to make that man feel pain that John and Marlena's death caused."

"We need to get an inside person in there," Shawn said.

"We tried that," Roman said, "they always seem to just disappear." All three men knowing that David had them murdered and their bodies would never be found again. They were too busy in their conversation to notice Zach was quietly walking in the kitchen door. He stopped when he noticed them in deep discussion and hide behind the counter.

"Then we go after their own," Shawn said staring at Mimi's photo, "we attack their weakest link."

"What are you talking about?" Bo asked, his curiosity peaked.

"We go after Mimi Lockhart," Shawn said holding up her picture.

"And how do we do that?" Roman asked, taking the picture from Shawn, "She's not going to betray her father."

"She will," Shawn said, "She's the weakest link and I know her weakness."

"What are you suggesting?" Bo asked.

"That I pay my _good friend_ Mimi a visit," Shawn said with a wicked grin, "I'll befriend her and use her to get the information we need."

"No way in hell!" Zach said popping up from behind the counter, "You will stay away from her." He said walking quickly to his brother's side.

"This plan is fool proof," Shawn said quickly dismissing his brother.

"Then why do I have the feeling I'm _looking_ at the fool?" Zach said.

"Don't you have legos to play with?" Sahwn bit back.

"I'm not six," Zach said, "I'm sixteen Sahwn! Maybe you should start to treat me like I'm an adult."

Shawn stood up quickly and towered over his brother, "Then go play with your toys and let the grown ups handle this." Shawn said as he pushed his brother towards the kitchen door. He turned back and looked at his father and uncle, "I know my plan with work."

"How so?" Bo asked.

"I get close to Mimi, do whatever it takes to get her to trust me," Shawn said with a confident arrogance, "David will never know what hit him and the best part is that it will be his daughter who helps us whether she knows it or not." He sat back down at the table and looked the men in the eyes.

"If David finds out he'll kill you," Bo said.

"He won't find out," Shawn said, "Mimi's a very loyal friend. She wouldn't let that happen."

"He's got a point Bo," Roman said.

"Uncle Roman have you lost your marbles!" Zach said, "She's a Lockhart, the little princess to David Lockhart. Her loyalties are to her family, not to some stupid friendship that was long since past! She's dangerous!"

"No she's not," Shawn growled his annoyance at his little brother's intrusion again, "She acts tough but she's has her weakness and I know them. We can use them to our advantage. She'll never know what's going on."

"Okay Shawn," Bo said, "we'll give it a try."

"Yes!" Shawn said victoriously.

"But it anything weird happens or I tell you to leave; I want you to walk away no questions asked," Bo said, "Understood?"

"Yes sir," Shawn said.

_Present Time_

"That was the moment Mimi Lockhart was allowed back into my brother's life," Zach said, "It was that moment that something weird happened, only my father forgot to tell him to walk away from her, but he allowed him to run to her. And when that something weird happen, Shawn forgot to walk away as well."


	3. Calm Before the Storm

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, nada. **

**Chapter 2 Calm Before the Storm  
**  
Zach watched his father and uncle walk away happy, happy about the fact that his brother will be going after Mimi Lockhart. Was he the only one that knew this spelled trouble? He looked at his brother in disbelief, "Fool proof plan my ass Shawn," Zach mumbled.

Shawn felt his brother's eyes on him; he turned to look at his younger brother. Only sixteen years old and he thought he knew it all, but he didn't know a dam thing. "What?"

"Don't what me!" Zach said angrily, "You're walking into the lion's den!"

"No I'm not," Shawn said, "I'm just going to see an old friend, as soon as I track her down that is."

"Shawn this is crazy," Zach said, "She maybe has been your friend once; before you knew who she was. And let's not forget what you did to her after John and Marlena died! You two haven't spoken since then. She's not going to forget that you blamed her father."

"That's because he killed them!" Shawn said angrily, "And she deserved everything I did to her and then some!"

"I know that you know that," Zach said, "but she doesn't know that. She wants to see the good in him. So basically she's a delusional nutcase because there is no good in David Lockhart. And you're a delusional jackass for thinking that she's going to just let you back in!"

"I know what I'm doing," Shawn said, "I know her weaknesses, she'll crumble."

"You don't know shit big brother," Zach said.

"Yes I do," Shawn said, "and as the game show says _'you are the weakest link, good-bye_." He said mimicking the television woman. His eyes turned immediately cold again as they narrowed in on his brother, "She's going to give me what I need to know. I'll play her for the love sick fool that she is."

"I thought you said your plan was fool proof," Zach said, "Wouldn't _the fool _see right through it."

"You're sixteen years old Zach," Shawn said, "and you know a fucking thing about this! I know this woman, I can use her and I will use her to help take down Lockhart once and for all."

"You're only twenty-six years old Shawn," Zach said mocking his brother, "and you know shit about this either! This is going to blow up in your face and your too much of an idiot to know it!"

Shawn growled and pined his brother against the wall, "You were too young to remember what Brian Lockhart did to our family."

"So were you," Zach pointed out as he struggled to free himself, "this isn't the way to go Shawn. I have a terrible feeling about this." Finally voicing his concern to his brother.

Shawn looked into his eyes, he looked so scared, "It's going to be alright," Shawn said releasing his brother, "I know what I'm doing; I can handle Mimi."

"I have no doubt in my mind Shawn that you can handle the Mimi you knew sixteen years ago," Zach said, "But it's Mimi Lockhart of now that I'm having trouble believing that you can handle anything that she gives you.."

"She's young and innocent kind of like you," Shawn said in disgust, "and I'm going to exploit that for my personal gains."

"She was young and innocent sixteen years ago and so you were Shawn," Zach pointed out, "but years have past since then Shawn, **years**. Sixteen years of being in the influence of that man Shawn; she could be totally different that you remember. I mean look how much you have changed."

"I haven't…"

"Yes you have," Zach said, "Mimi was your friend before you learned her last name. The Shawn who knew that Mimi, wouldn't have used exploited her for his own personal gain. That was something Eric did, not Shawn-Douglas Brady. Can't you see what you have become? You've allowed this hatred to control your life and you're foolish enough to believe that the Lockhart hatred hasn't taken control of her yet."

"You're worrying for no reason," Shawn said with a sigh, "I can handle that woman."

"I sure hope you're right," Zach said.

"I know I'm right," Shawn said, he looked at the clock on the wall, "shouldn't you be in school?"

"Can't you see I'm sick?" Zach said adding a fake cough for effect.

"Whatever man," Shawn said, he heard his cell phone ring, "Hello…Hey Dad…Yeah he's faking it again, I was just going to send his butt back to school…what you got for me? Perfect, I'll be sure to at Tuscany's tonight." He hung up the phone and looked at Zach, "Time to get back to school."

"You suck Shawn," Zach said.

"And you're a pain in my ass," he said as they left the house. They got into the truck and drove off.

"So what did Dad want?" Zach asked, "Besides to sentence me back to school."

"I know where Mimi will be dining tonight," Shawn said, "and I feel like some Tuscany food."

"She's dining alone?"

"No," he said, "with her family."

"And you except to just walk up to the table and ask her for a dance!" Zach said, the look in his brother's eye told him that is what he was going to do, "Are you crazy! Why don't you just tell him what you're planning and get it over with! He'll find out something's up the instant you get to the table."

"Relax Zach," Shawn said, "I'll think of something. It won't be long before Mimi Lockhart is putty in my hands."

Shawn's smile scared Zach; he didn't know what Shawn was planning. He was just happy he wasn't Mimi Lockhart right at that moment.


	4. Break Her

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing**

**Chapter 3 Break Her**

Shawn was reading through this file on Mimi when he came across some unsettling news, she was engaged to be married to some guy named Ross Smith. He picked up his file on Ross and flipped through it. He had to find this man's weakness, Mimi wasn't allowed to be happy, he had to break her and make her miserable so he could slip in under the radar. He couldn't use her if he was standing in the way. He found his answer sitting right there in black and white. A sly smile grew on his face as he picked up the phone, "Hey Tiffany, it's Shawn," he said, "How's my favorite working girl?...That's great, how do you feel about making some big money?...Excellent, this is what you are going to do." He hung up the phone after giving her instructions; step one was done. Now he just needed Mimi there, he picked up the phone and dialed, "Hello Fred's Florist?...I need to place an order."

Mimi stepped out of the elevator and made her way over to Ross' office, she was really happy. His note made her smile; it seemed so unlike Ross to be so expressive of his feelings. Maybe he changed, maybe he was the one. She knew her father wanted this marriage for business, but he would never allow Mimi to be in a loveless marriage. She knew Ross loved her but sometimes she wondered if she was in love with him or just doing her father's bidding. She took those thoughts from her head as she reached his office and with wearing the brightest smile she opened the office door, and in an instant her smile was gone, "What the hell is going on here!" she screamed at the lovers caught in the act of making…no Mimi couldn't call it making love, they were having sex…pure animalistic sex.

"Mimi this isn't what it looks like," he said as they both scrambled to put their clothes on.

"Really?" she said, "Did you both trip, loose all your clothes in the fall, and she landed on your dick repeatedly?"

"What?" Ross said confused, "Mimi…"

"I'm not stupid Ross!" she said, "I see you! And it looks like your cheating on me with that little slut!"

"Okay, maybe it is what it looks like…."

"You think?" she barked back sarcastically as she crossed her arms defensively.

"But I do love you," he said as he pushed the woman off of him and reached for his boxers.

"Just not enough to say faithful huh?" she said, "How long?"

"What?" he asked as he put his boxers on.

"How long have you been cheating on me with her!" she screamed pointing at her.

"I…" Ross tried to explain but was cut off.

"I just met him like fifteen minutes ago," Tiffany said, Shawn said there would be a bonus if she made Mimi cry and damn it she wanted that bonus. Adding salt to the wounds, she didn't even try to cover herself or show an ounce of shame.

"15 minutes ago!" Mimi screamed, holding back the tears.

"But it won't happen again," Tiffany said, "the sex was great in all I just don't do guys in a relationship." She slowly reached for her clothes and started to put them on.

"Well he's not in one anymore!" Mimi screamed as she took off her engagement ring and threw it at him.

"Mimi no," Ross said as the ring hit him in the chest and bounced to the floor.

"Save it for someone who cares!" she said, "All I want to know is why? Why would you do this to me?"

"I don't know," he said, "You are just…just something Mimi. You won't let me in to your heart. I don't have a place in your life."

"I loved you," she said, no longer able to fight back the tears, "I was going to spend the rest of my life with you. You had the biggest piece of me."

"But it was so small," Ross said, "It wasn't enough. Not for me. I needed more than you were willing to give to me."

"Bullshit!" she said slapping him across the face, "You weren't enough for me! If you didn't want to be with me than you should have ended it instead screwing around behind my back!"

"It wasn't like that," Ross tried to say as he reached out to grab her arms.

"Stay the hell away from me!" Mimi screamed as she knocked his hands away, "You will never touch me again!"

"Baby…."

"I never want to see you again you lying piece of shit!" she screamed at him as she stormed out of his office and slammed the door behind her.

Tiffany smiled triumphantly as Mimi ran out of the room in tears. She was going to get a lot of money from this business deal. She wiped her smile when Ross looked at her. She simply shrugged and left.

"She did huh?" Shawn said getting at the details from Tiffany, "You definitely earned it. It will be in the usual spot later tonight." Shawn hung up the phone as Zach came in smiling. "Why are you happy?"

"Because I know something that you don't know about Mimi," Zach said, "Something that will keep you away from her. Something that makes her untouchable to you."

"And what is this news?" Shawn said, playing along with his little brother.

"She's engaged," Zach said, "Your plan won't work now. I guess you'll just have to forget about Mimi…."

"Not anymore," Shawn said with an evil glint in his eye, "I took care of it."

Zach knew that look in Shawn's eyes all too well. He destroyed that woman's happiness for his own personal gain. Zach was really afraid for him; he was becoming more like a stranger to him. And the worst part is, Shawn didn't even notice, "You didn't?" Zach asked, even though he already knew the answer, "Please tell me you didn't do that to that poor innocent woman?"

"First of all," Shawn said, "She's not an innocent woman."

"She didn't do anything to you Shawn," Zach countered back, "Please just tell me you didn't do it."

"Didn't do what?" Shawn said smirk as he leaned back in his chair looking pleased with himself.

"You destroyed that woman's happiness so you could get closer to her?"

"No," Shawn said, his smirk broke into a mischievous smile, "and yes." He saw the look his brother was giving him, "Is it my fault the man she was going to marry cheats on her?"

"Was?" Zach asked, "As in past tense?"

"Yeah," Shawn said, "I arranged for Mimi to get an eye opening on the true Ross whatever the hell his name is."

"Shawn…"

"I think I did her a favor," Shawn said, patting Zach on the back after he got up, "Her fiancé was a scumbag and I liberated her from his clutches."

"For your own personal gains!" Zach said, "How is trading one snake in for another any good for her?"

"Careful Zach," Shawn growled at his brother, "Remember whose side you're on in this battle. She's a Lockhart, you're a Brady. She doesn't deserve to have you defend her!"

"I'm looking out for you Shawn, not her," Zach said, "You shouldn't get close to her. Something bad will happen if you don't let this go now, I know it. I can feel it in my bones"

"I know what I'm doing," Shawn snapped back, "and the only one who will be getting hurt is **her**, not **me**!" Shawn got into Zach's face and growled, "Do you understand me little brother!"

"Shawn…"

"Now if you excuse me I have to finalize some plans for tonight," Shawn said as he walked away from Zach and towards the stairs, he stopped before he reached the landing, "Understand this Zach, you can disapprove of this all you want, but I will have her right where I want her. She will be wrapped around my finger before the night is over mark my words little brother."

Zach watched him run upstairs, "You have no idea what you are getting yourself into you stupid, stupid boy." He shook his head at his brother, "And he's suppose to be my role model?" he mumbled to himself, "He's clearly an idiot and I am the more mature one. Use your head Shawn. Get out now." Zach looked up to the ceiling, "Protect him Gran and Grandpa Tom. I have a bad feeling Shawn is getting in way over his head and he doesn't even know it."

Mimi Lockhart walked into the mansion; her heart was broken in two, more like a million pieces. Her fiancé was cheating on her; she caught him in the act. Doing some blonde hair slut at his office and her mind couldn't help but wonder if she was the first woman? Was there more? She couldn't understand why he would buy her flowers instructing her to meet her at his office if he was having sex with his whore then. Did he want to be caught? Was that it? Did he want to break it off with her but couldn't? Confronting him was the hardest thing she ever had to do; but in a way she was relived. She didn't want to be with him, but in a way she did. She finally found love and it was ripped away from her. "What a joke," she said, "I will never fall in love again. I will be the biggest bitch and ice queen this world has ever seen!" She wanted to blame him so much, but she just never let him into her heart, her life. She's grown up these past sixteen years; she is no longer that lovesick puppy that drooled over Shawn Brady or any man that would give even her the slightest amount of attention. She was Miriam Lockhart and it was time to show the world how much of her father was inside of her.

"Hey princess," David said coming down the stairs, "You better get ready for dinner; tonight's the big dinner with Ross' parents."

"I'm not going," Mimi said, "dinner is cancelled."

"What happened?" he asked noticing her tears, "What did he do?"

"He's been cheating on me with anything female that walks on two legs," she said crying as her father comforted her.

"I'm sorry," he said, "but don't you cry for that man. He doesn't deserve your tears."

"I know," Mimi said removing herself from her father's loving arms. She wiped the tears away and her face hardened. She wasn't going to give Ross the pleasure of knowing he broke her, she wasn't going to let anyone know that.

"I'll cancel the reservations…"

"No," Mimi said, "we'll have a family dinner. I'm a Lockhart, we don't cry over spilt milk and that is what he is. I will not let him think he hurt me because he didn't. I'm a Lockhart, nothing can touch me."

David smiled, but he knew Mimi was just acting like this, he knew she was dying inside. Love will always be her weakness. "Okay then," he said, "a nice family dinner with my children, how could I refuse such a splendid offer?"

"Because you can't," Mimi said. She gave her father a kiss on the cheek and walked up the stairs. She walked into her room and looked into the mirror, "Never again will I let someone do that to me," she said with determination, "I will never fall in love again. I'll break hearts, not the other way around." Her face was so hard, so cold. Her innocence had left her; she was determined to be a true Lockhart through and through.


	5. Control Her

Chapter 4 Control Her

Zach Brady walked into his bedroom and saw his brother standing in front of his closet going through it like it was his own, "Excuse me," he said, "what do you think you're doing?"

"I need to find a suit for tonight," Shawn simply said, "and yours are better than mine."

"That's because I own some," Zach said, "you do too. Victor gave you suits too you know."

"I know," Shawn said, never looking at Zach, "but Mimi's seen me in those suits. I need something new, something more dazzling."

"And you except to find it in my closet?" Zach said in disbelief.

"Nope," Shawn said still rummaging through his closet, "I'm looking for the suit you borrowed from Philip."

"Oh," Zach said, "I returned it." Knowing full well that he didn't, that it was pushed far back in his closet until the day Philip forgot he borrowed it and it become his forever.

"Liar," Shawn replied, "I know you haven't given that yet because I asked Philip if he'd loan me one and he said to look in your closet. It seems I'm the more responsible Brady here."

"More like the stupid one," Zach mumbled under his breath.

"Excuse me!" Shawn snapped as he stopped looking through Zach's closet and glared at him. "What did you say?"

"You heard me," Zach yelled, "this stupid plan of yours is going to get you into so much trouble! Why can't you see that?"

"She's just a little girl," Shawn said cocky, "I can control her like puppet." His hands moved around with his fingers spread out like he was a puppet master controlling the movements of his puppet.

"Then you're an idiot," Zach snapped back, "because she's not a puppet whose strings you can pull to do whatever you want her to do. She's a person, a Lockhart at that!"

"Watch me," Shawn said with determination, "She will give me all the information I need to know to put David away for life!"

"You're delusional," Zach said, "This idiotic plan of yours will blow up in your face!"

"I don't think so Zach," Shawn said confidently, "I believe I will get everything I've always wanted. Now if you'd excuse me Mimi will be at Tuscany's in about 15 minutes and I still haven't found that suit." He drew his attention back to the closet.

"She's going with her family Shawn," Zach said, "how on earth do you plan on talking to her with them around. Patrick and David will never allow her to socialize with a Brady."

"I've got it all under control," Shawn said as he brought his attention back to Zach's closet, "and you really need to clean this thing out. It took me way too long to find this." He pulled out Philip's suit from the back of his closet; it was almost out of his reach.

"Well it's my closet and I like it the way it is," Zach said as he let out a long sigh; he had to stop Shawn from doing this. He had the worst feeling about this little plan of Shawn's. It was going to end up hurting everyone in the end he just knew it. "What is she doesn't come tonight?" he said, "What if she was just wants to wallow in her pain for the night?"

"I have made arrangements," Shawn said, "she will be there. And it will kill her to be there but I know her stubbornness, she will not let Ross know how much she hurt him. It's going to be lots of fun twisting that knife in her back." His smiled widely, evilly, it gave Zach shivers down his spine.

"Just be careful Shawn. You're playing with fire here."

"I might be," Shawn said looking over the black suit, "but I don't intend on getting burned, Mimi will when she sets herself on fire."

Zach sighed as he watched his big brother walk out of his bedroom; he looked up at the ceiling, "God help us," he said then looked at his brother's returning form, "God help him."

Mimi was standing in front of the mirror looking at herself. She was wearing a simple strapless black dress, the front was low cut, and her dress was floor length with two slits up to above her knees. She wore a diamond necklace and her hair was in curls framing her face beautifully. She tried to hold back the tears, tonight was suppose to be a special night with Ross and his parents, now it was nothing more than a family dinner. She heard a knock on the door and put on her brave face. "Come in."

Patrick opened the door and saw his sister standing there, he could see right through her act. He knew Mimi was a strong person, but he also knew that love had taken yet another toll on her fragile heart, "You look beautiful Mimi."

"Thanks," she said, "You don't look to bad yourself."

"Well can't really mess up a suit now can I?" Patrick said smiling, "You ready to go?"

"Yeah," she said grabbing her purse and shawl. She walked out of the room and straight to the car. When they reached Tuscany's, David walked into Tuscany with his daughter on his arm and his son on his left.

Shawn watched from the bushes, his plan was working perfectly. Now he had to wait for his other accomplice to get here. Twenty minutes had pasted by and he was getting impatient. Tonight was on a schedule and his partner in crime was messing with that schedule.

"Sorry I'm late Shawn," he said out of breath as he ran from his car, "I got stuck at…"

"Well it's about time!" Shawn said, "They are already in there, they have ordered. This is what I need you to do." Shawn whispered into his ear. He watched him go inside and Shawn shortly followed, keeping himself in the background looking at their table, "Soon you will be mine to control."

The young man walked up to the table, "David, Patrick," he said, "it's good to see you again. Mimi you're looking as lovely as ever."

"Thank you Philip," she said as she watched him take her hand and give it a kiss.

"Mr. Lockhart I was wondering if you'd allow me the honor to dance with your beautiful daughter," he said.

"Of course," David said, "but that's all you're allowed to do." His threat rang clear through the softness of his voice.

"Yes sir," Philip said holding out his hand for Mimi to take. He saw her smile as she put her small hand in his. He led her out to the dance floor. He looked over at Shawn who smiled, for the first time in his whole life Philip felt sorry for a Lockhart. Mimi wouldn't know what hit her. Shawn's plan was ingenious; Mimi wouldn't stand a chance. He saw Shawn walking over here and looked over at the Lockhart table, David's watchful eye had turned his attention to an associate and Shawn was coming in for the kill.

"May I cut in?" Shawn asked tapping Philip on the shoulder.

"Sure," Philip said, "Thank you for the dance Miss Lockhart." Philip took her hand and gave it a kiss before getting lost in the crowd.

Mimi looked at Shawn not moving, she couldn't believe after all these years he was standing before her. She wasn't sure what to do, if he was the enemy or not. She saw him come closer, wrapping one arm around her tiny waist and the other one grabbing her hand.

He smiled when she did not move, "Did you forget where your arms go?" he asked playfully.

"Huh?" Mimi responded as she had not yet recovered from the shock of seeing him.

He let go of her waist and gently picked up her motionless hand. "This hand goes up by my shoulder," he said as he brought it up by his shoulder and rested it on his shoulder then returned his hand to her waist, pulling her a little closer than usual. They he began to lead them to the beat of the song.

"I knew that," Mimi said trying to recover from making a fool of herself, "I was just deciding whether or not I wanted to dance with the likes of you Shawn Brady."

"And what have you decided?" he asked in a teasing manner.

"I think I have decided against it," she said.

"Well it's too late," Shawn said, "we're already dancing." He saw her notice that they were moving. Shawn smiled, she was confused and he knew it. He could see the wheels turning in her head, friend or foe; runaway or stay put. "It's been too long," Shawn said, "I came in here and saw you dancing with Philip I knew I had to come over and cut in. I had to see you again; I've missed you so much."

"It has been a long time hasn't it," she said dryly. She felt comfortable in his arms but at the same time something felt wrong about it. He hadn't spoken to her in six years when Marlena and John died. She couldn't understand why Shawn blamed her family for it. Did he forget that her own mother was on that plane too? She knew why her mother was on that plane but at the same time she didn't understand it at all. She had carried her mother's secret with her for six years now. For six years it ate away at her. She didn't know how much longer she could hold it in. How much longer she had the strength to protect a memory. How could her mother do that? What could she have possibly been thinking? Was she even thinking? More importantly, how could the world forget that her mother went down with the plane? That the day the world mourned Marlena and John Black, it also mourned one Bonnie Lockhart; not that the Brady's would have ever acknowledged that.

Shawn felt her slipping away; he started to think it might be harder than he thought. That's why he brought Plan B along with him. "I'm really sorry," he said, "I never meant to loose touch with you. I had a lot of bad stuff happen. I'm sorry about your mom." He didn't like playing the mom card, but she was unresponsive to him. As they say, desperate times, call for desperate measures.

"Thanks," Mimi said, "I didn't think that you cared that she was on that plane."

"I'm sorry for being an ass back then," Shawn said reaping the benefits of playing the mom card, "I just could never understand why she was there in the first place."

"I heard about your horrible break up with Belle," she said trying to switch topics away from her mother and that plane crash, "I'm sorry. I guess we're both unlucky in the love department huh?"

"Come on Mimi," Shawn said taking note of her reluctance to talk about her mother, "I read about your engagement in the paper today. You got it all, the fairy tale life." He saw her face turn pale in the corner of his eye, but he just kept on twisting the knife. "I'm really happy for you know you. You deserve someone great."

"Shawn I…"

"And speaking of your fiancé," Shawn said, "he just walked in…." he saw Tiffany on his arm, he saw him leaning in to kiss her as Mimi started to turn her head. "Mimi don't look," Shawn said putting his hand on her chin, focusing her gaze back to him, "I was mistaken it wasn't Ross." He saw their kiss, it was sizzling. Tiffany was definitely worth every penny.

"He's with her isn't he?" Mimi said, holding back the tears.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Shawn said, pretending to play dumb. But inside he was loving every minute of it. He never destroyed a life before, and it intrigued him that he didn't feel the least bit sorry for this girl.

"Don't play stupid," Mimi said turning around to look at them.

"Mimi no!" Shawn said with emotion, he had to compliment himself on his acting abilities, they were fantastic. One could dare say believable.

"I already know," Mimi said as she witnessed that last moments of their lip lock. She couldn't take it; she knew she promised herself that she'd be cold hearted bitch. But she couldn't be; his betrayal cut deep inside of her. She didn't know if her heart would ever stop bleeding. She ran past Shawn and straight out of the terrace.

He smiled in victory watching her run off with tears, "You are brilliant Brady, pure brilliance!" he said to himself, as he started to run after her, "Mimi wait!" He took one last look at Tiffany and winked at her. That girl was defiantly getting another bonus for her performance. But he had more important things to do; her defenses were down and he was going in for the kill. He saw Patrick and David get up from their table and head over in the direction of Ross. He saw Maggie coming over to give the message to David saying that Philip took Mimi home after seeing Ross' public display of betrayal. His plan was working perfectly. He opened the door and saw Mimi crying, her body was shaking from her tears. Her brokenness tugged at his heart a bit, but he quickly got rid of that feeling. It was time to take her under his control and play her for the puppet he was going to make her.

Mimi couldn't stop crying, seeing him with her was too much. She couldn't believe he would go public with his relationship with that tramp…on the day their engagement was in the papers no less! She knew she'd be the laughing stock of Salem once again; she would always be labeled the awkward teenage girl whose boyfriends could never remain faithful to her. She'd show them, she'd show the world that she was a Lockhart that demanded respect. But right now all she could do was cry, let out all the tears she was holding in. Her frail body was shaking from her tears. She would make Ross pay for this if it was the last thing she did. She felt something on her shoulders; she saw a black jacket hug her body as two hands rubbed her arms up and down.

"Shish Meems," Shawn said gently as he rubbed her arms in hope that she'd warm up. He wasn't planning on giving her his jacket, but something inside of him told him to do it when he saw her body shaking.

"Why Shawn?" she asked quietly, barely above a whisper.

"Why what?" he asked, as if he didn't know what her question was.

"Why would he do this to me?" she said crying, "I thought he loved me. He said that he did."

"Come here Meems," Shawn said as she turned around and he wrapped his arms around her. He could feel her warm tears soak into his shirt. Her body was still trembling; he held her tighter but couldn't seem to get her to stop shaking. "He doesn't deserve you, he's beneath you."

"I wish that was true," she said crying.

"It is," Shawn said, "he knew he didn't deserve you. You're too good for him Mimi."

"If I'm too good for him than why aren't I with him?" she asked; her tears now pouring out from her eyes. She watched him as he tenderly wiped the tears from her eyes and kiss both of her cheeks with such care as if she was a porcelain doll that he was afraid of breaking and not a broken hearted young woman. She felt his arms wrap around her body and pull her once again towards his body. She allowed him to comfort her from the pain, to shield her from the world. Because for the first time in a long time, she felt truly safe.

Shawn smiled, he broke her and he's going to be the one to put her back together. And that will give him the advantage that David Lockhart will never see coming. "You deserve better Mimi," Shawn said, "He isn't the one for you."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because of the way he broke you," Shawn said.

"No he didn't…"

"Yes he did," he said, "This is Shawn Meems. You don't need to be so tough around me okay. I know you're hurting and I don't want you to deny it."

She merely nodded her head yes, that was all the strength she had in her at that moment. She couldn't believe after all these years he had come back into her life now when it was falling apart at the seams. Something didn't seem right about it either.

"He's not the one for you Mimi," Shawn said, "he proved that when he cheated on you with that blonde bitch. He didn't even have the decency to do it in private. No he paraded her around for the whole world to see. He purposely humiliated you tonight. If he was truly meant for you he never would have looked twice at another woman and he would never, ever have treated you like this. You deserve better."

"What do I deserve Shawn?" she asked pulling away from his embrace and looking at him, "You seem to have this idea of what I deserve, care sharing it with the world?"

"I don't know about the world…"

"How about me?" she asked.

"_You deserve a lifetime of pain and suffering,"_ he thought to himself as he once again gently brushed the tears from her face, "The man who loves you, truly loves you will treat you like you are the only woman in the world. He will touch you like your porcelain when you are hurting, challenge you in your daily life, love you so much that all he does is think about you and your happiness. He will put your needs above his own. He will treat you like a princess and he makes love to you," he watched her blush when he said 'make love' and he almost that it was cute…almost; "he will worship your body with every fiber of his being. You will be his other half and you will hold his heart in the palm of your hands. And he will have yours. He will treat your heart with the tender loving care it deserves, that it needs. And he would never, ever, EVER think about giving it back to you…never the less in millions of pieces. You deserve to feel love with every fiber of your being."

"Wow," she said, "I…I…" She couldn't finish the sentence; she couldn't even remember what the sentence was going to be. All she could do was look deep into his eyes. She saw something there that she couldn't label, but it intrigued her.

"Mimi…" Shawn started to say, but he was hypnotized by her eyes as well. He saw such innocence in there, innocence he didn't think a Lockhart could possess. But their spell was broken when Tiffany's laughter came through the terrace doors.

"I want to go home," she said, breaking eye contact with Shawn. There was such an intensity there that drew her in….it frightened her. All she knew is that she needed to get far away from Shawn-Douglas Brady.

"I'll drive you."

"It's not necessary," she said, "Besides my father will kill you."

"I'd risk it for you Mimi," Shawn said, "you mean so much to me not even your father could stop me from seeing you."

She smiled for the first time in a long time, not even Ross could make her smile like this, "Thanks," she said, "but it's not necessary, Patrick and my father are here with me."

"Okay," Shawn said as he watched her walk away still wearing his coat, "Jacket stealing bitch," he mumbled under his breath. But it also gave him a reason to see her again. He followed her into the restaurant hoping that David and Patrick had already left. He didn't see them or Mimi. His plan was to bring her home but he did get through to her. He knew she'd be thinking about their conversation tonight and that's all that matter. When he walked outside he saw her standing there trying to wave down a taxi. "What are you doing?"

"They left," she said, "Maggie told me that they left shortly after confronting Ross."

"They just left you?" he asked.

"No," she said, "Philip told them that he would take me home. I guess when he couldn't find me he assumed I went with my family."

"You know what they say when you assume?" he said with a smirk trying to lighten the mood.

"I do know Mr. Brady," she said, "and I'm rather appalled you're implying that I'm an ass."

"You may have a nice ass," he said, "but that's the extent of your assiness."

"Is that even a word?" she asked after letting out a little laugh; then a beautiful smile stayed on her lips.

"I have no idea but it made you laugh," Shawn said with a genuine smile of his own, "want a ride?"

"I'd love one," she said, "but you taking me home doesn't sound like a good idea. My father hates your family."

"I don't care about your father Mimi," he said taking a step closer to her, "I only care about you."

"That's sweet, really it is," she said, "but I think a cab is still the best option." She was growing suspicious of him; she couldn't understand why he was practically forcing this ride on her. She couldn't help but to wonder what was in it for him.

He didn't like this, she wasn't taking the bait. "Will you meet me tomorrow?" he asked, taking another step closer.

"I don't think that's a good idea Shawn," she said stepping back, "I'm a Lockhart and you're a Brady. That's why our friendship was doomed from the beginning; the instant you found out the new girl in school was a Lockhart." She hailed down a cab and got in, "Good night Shawn."

"Good night Mimi," he said as he watched the cab drive off. He felt defeated and he felt cold. He rubbed his arms and realized he wasn't wearing his jacket. "We'll meet again Miss Lockhart," he said smiling, "because I want my jacket back."


	6. Manipulate Her

**Disclaimer: Still own nothing.**

**Chapter 5- Manipulate Her**

Mimi's cab pulled up to the mansion and she paid him before walking into her house. She was walking up the stairs when she heard her father's voice coming from the living room.

"Miriam," David said, "can you come here for a second?"

"I'm really tired Daddy," she said from the stairs, "I just want to go to sleep."

"It will take just a minute," he said.

Mimi walked down the stairs and into the living room, "Yes Daddy?" she asked.

David took note of the men's jacket resting on her shoulders, "Did you have a good time with Philip?"

"He just dropped me off Daddy," Mimi said, "I asked him to just drive around so I could collect my thoughts before going home. That's all."

"That better be all," he said, "I know he's not a Brady, but he's still Bo Brady's half brother."

"Believe me Daddy," Mimi assured him, "I would never in a million years associate myself with a Brady or anyone with Brady blood. They're beneath us." Her voice was full of conviction that even she believed her façade.

David smiled at his daughter's words. Her dedication to this family was something he would never forget. He remembered how much it broke her heart to disconnect herself from the new friends Belle, Shawn, and Philip she made when he first brought her home from boarding school when she was ten years old. Without questioning his motivates, she disassociated herself with them because he asked her to. With no questions asked she obeyed her father. But he knew how much it hurt her to loose her friendships since it seemed to be hard for her to make friends. I guess that was the price she had to pay to be the mob princess. But it was easier to let them go after her mother died in that plane crash and her so called friends had turned their backs on her blaming him for it. Like he would kill his own wife, does family loyalty not mean anything to the Brady's as it does to the Lockhart's? "They_are_beneath us," he conformed, "have a good night princess."

"Good night Daddy," she said giving him a hug and kiss on the cheek. Mimi was at the door when he stopped her again.

"And Mimi," David said.

"Yes?" she said turning around.

"Do you want one of the maids to return Philip's jacket to him?" he gestured to the jacket she was wearing.

Mimi's eyes widen, she forget to give Shawn back his jacket before she ran off, "That will not be necessary," she said, knowing the trouble it will cause, "He was kind enough to give it to me when I was cold, it would only be right to return it to him in person."

"I guess you're right," David said, "besides I hear it is supposed to be a nice day out tomorrow. Maybe you could enjoy the day after returning the jacket."

"Yeah," Mimi said with a smile as she thought about seeing Shawn again, "things seem to be looking up huh?"

David looked confused, he had no idea what he was talking about, "Goodnight princess," he said again.

"Night," she said walking up the stairs. She unconsciously pulled the jacket closer to her body and breathed in Shawn's scent that was in the jacket. She reached her room before she realized what she was doing. She quickly took off the jacket and threw it on her bed as if it burned her skin, "Do not go there Mimi," she said to herself, "He's a Brady. He's dangerous."

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Shawn mumbled as he continued to climb up at tree, "I feel like an idiot." He reached his destination in time to see Mimi smelling his jacket before taking it off in a hurry and throwing it onto the bed, "Looks like someone is falling for my charms," he said smugly. He reached for her balcony and grabbed a hold of it before falling out of the tree. He hit the edge of the balcony hard with his body, "OWE!" he said a little too loudly.

Mimi jumped when she heard his voice; she looked out the door to her balcony to see Shawn Brady trying to climb over the edge. She ran to the door and opened it, "What are you doing?" she whispered as she walked over to him. When she reached him he fell over and landed on the balcony with a loud thud. "Answer me!" she said in a stern whisper, "What are you doing here? You do not belong here!"

"What light through window….owe!" he yelled as he smacked in the arm, "That hurt woman!" he yelled, "Is that any way…" he was cut off by her hand covering his mouth."

"My brother is right next door," she whispered, "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"What are you doing here?" she asked again as her patience began to wear thin.

"That looks so much easier in the movies," he said as he pointed at the leg, "I almost broke my neck trying to get up here to see you…" he was interrupted by her again, this time by her laughter, "Are you laughing at my romantic gesture?" He couldn't believe he was laughing at him. He was pissed beyond measure, he nearly killed himself for her and she stands there mocking him with her laughter.

"I'm sorry Shawn," she said through her laughter, "But how is almost killing yourself a romantic gesture?" She used finger quotes around 'romantic gesture.'

"I don't know," he said, "I risked my life to see you again. I figured that would be worth something to you. Apparently I was wrong, when did your heart turn to stone?" Mimi's smile immediately left her face when he said that. "I'm such an idiot," he said standing up and hugging her before he could even think about what he was doing, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. I don't think your heart is made of stone," he said_. "I don't think you have a heart,"_ he thought to himself. He pushed down the feelings of regret he had for making her cry. _"Please don't cry my beautiful Mimi,"_ he thought to himself, _"Where the hell did that come from? I don't like her. She's the enemy. I crush her and then I control her. That's all. She's not a person, she's the enemy."_

She pulled herself out of his arms, she couldn't stay in there it felt so right to be in his arms, but her mind was screaming no. "I'm sorry," she said, "Everything with Ross is finally catching up to me."

"You deserve better than him," Shawn said, "I meant every word I said to you at Tuscany's tonight."

"Please go," she said, having him this close to her was causing butterflies in her stomach, her heart was doing flip flops and her mind was telling her to run, runaway fast. She took a few steps behind her as her back met the glass window by the door.

"Do you want me to go?" Shawn challenged her, he wanted to her hear her say the words. He took a few more steps closer to her. He didn't understand his movements, he felt like something was drawing him to her.

"My family will kill you if they find you in my room," Mimi stated.

"That's not what I asked," Shawn said, "I asked if you wanted me to go."

"It doesn't matter," she said trying to brush it off.

"Of course it matters," Shawn said, "I told you that I would risk my life to be with you. I meant those words too. In fact just to clear the air, I meant every word I said to you tonight." He saw her smile and he immediately thought, _"And the Oscar goes too…"_

"You need to go," She said pushing him back towards the edge of her balcony, "if my father or brother came in right now they would kill you."

"I can't," Shawn said.

"Why not?" Mimi asked.

"Because you never said you wanted me to leave," Shawn said stating the obvious.

"Would you just go already!" she was getting frustrated with him, but yet she couldn't tell him that she wanted him to leave.

"I can't," he said again.

"Why not?" she said, "This is me," pointing herself, "telling you," pointing to him, "to leave."

"When you left tonight I felt really cold," Shawn said, "and when I'm with you I feel warm again."

Mimi smiled and took a step closer to him, now there was no space between their bodies, "I think I can help you with that problem."

Shawn took in a deep breath when he felt her body against his own; "Really?" he said seductively, his voice betraying his mind by following his heart.

"Uh huh," she said, her face was really close to his.

Shawn closed his eyes and waited for the kiss to come but it never came. He opened his eyes when he felt her body leaving his. He saw her going inside and grabbing his jacket. He released the breath he didn't know he was holding. He tried to ignore the feeling of disappointment that she didn't kiss him. He followed her into her room.

"I think this will help you with the cold," she said giving him back his jacket, "I'm sorry I ran off with it. I didn't even remember I was wearing it. I just had to get out of there."

"No worries," Shawn said, "it gave me a reason to see you again."

"Why are you being so nice to me Shawn?" Mimi asked, finally voicing her suspicions.

"What do you mean?" Shawn said, getting defensive. Mimi was just supposed to fall into this trap and so far all she's done was resist him every step of the way.

"You haven't spoken to me since my mother died six years and all of a sudden out of the blue you are here with me," she said, "telling me that you'd risk your life to talk to me. I'm sorry but this is all too hard to swallow."

"I know it all seems unbelievable," Shawn said, "but I couldn't stop thinking about you for six years. But because of my family I forced myself to stay away. That was until…"

"Until what?" Mimi said.

"I walked into Tuscany's and saw you dancing with Philip," Shawn said as he placed the jacket back on her bed, "You looked so beautiful and so lost. And I was happy."

"You were happy that I was lost and miserable!" she yelled louder than she meant to. Shawn immediately covered her mouth with his hand and she covered his hand with hers. His hand was faster than her to silence her.

"That's not what I meant by being happy," he said, when she removed her hand, he removed his from her mouth, "I saw on your face what I have been feeling since I let you walk out of my life and I was happy because I had hope that maybe we could rebuild what our families destroyed."

"You mean what we destroyed," Mimi said.

"Mimi we both know we destroyed our friendship out of family loyalty," Shawn said.

"What would make this time any different than before?" she asked.

"What?" Shawn asked.

Before Mimi could respond there was a knock on her door.

"Mimi?" David said, "Are you okay?"

"Yes Daddy," she said.

Shawn rolled his eyes_"Oh course she's a 'Daddy' girl,"_ he thought to himself.

"Can I come in?" he asked turning the doorknob.

"NO!" Mimi screamed running to the door closing it as he was opening it.

"What's going on in there?" David asked when he heard her lock the door, "Let me in."

"I'm naked Daddy," she blurted out, her cheeks turned red instantly when she saw Shawn's goofy smile when she said that, "I'm changing out of my dress and I'm…give me a minute to finish getting ready and I'll open the door."

"Okay," David said laughing at his daughter.

"Help me with the zipper," she whispered to Shawn.

He gulped as he unzipped her zipper.

When she turned around she saw that his eyes were close, she couldn't help but to smile at him being a gentleman. "Closet now," she said pushing him into the closet. She quickly changed into pajamas and laid her dress on her chair for the maid to deal with tomorrow. She went to the door and opened it, "What's wrong?" she asked, "I was just about to go to bed."

"I heard you yelling," David said, "is someone in here?" He walked past her and starting looking around the room.

"I was on the phone with Ross," she said, "I got angry at him and I yelled. I'm sorry that I made you worry."

"Is that everything?" David asked.

"Of course that's everything," she said, "why do you ask?"

"I feel like you're hiding something from me," David said as he opened his closet door.

"Yes Daddy," she said brining his attention back to her. She tried really hard not to let her inner freak out come to the surface because she could see Shawn trying to hide among her clothes, "There is no one here but us." She tried to justify to herself that it wasn't a total lie because Shawn was apart of the us, her father just didn't know that.

"Okay," David said closing the door before looking inside, both Shawn and Mimi let out a sigh of relief, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she said, "it will just take time. Remember I'm a Lockhart and we don't cry over spilt milk."

"Give me a break," Shawn mumbled in the closet.

"I know princess," he said hugging her, but not believing a word he said, "Goodnight."

He left Mimi's room after he closed the door she went over and locked the door again. She went to the closet and opened the door, "That was too close," she said, "You need to leave."

"We're not done talking Mimi," he said.

"My father almost caught you in my room Shawn," she said, "that has to be a sign that we are not meant to be anything to each other."

"I don't care about your family or mine family anymore," he said, "I want to do something for me. And that means having you back in my life. Even if we have to be secret friends, hiding in the shadows. I can't live another minute of my life without you. I've done it for too long, I can't do it anymore."

"Shawn…"

"Please Mimi," he said, "Give us a chance before you say no."

"I'm afraid," she said.

"Of what?" Shawn asked her as he put his hands on her waist.

"Of what would happen if our families out found," she said, "I'm afraid my family would kill you."

"That's not going to happen," he said hugging her, "I'm never going to leave you."

"You can't make that promise," she said trying to pull away from him but his hands remained firmly on her waist keeping her there, "so don't say those words."

"Meet me tomorrow at the diner on the other side of the tracks," Shawn said, "No one ever eats there, well at least people who would care about the Brady/Lockhart mess."

"Shawn, we can't…"

"If you don't give us a chance before you say no then I'm going to come back here every night until you say yes," he said, "and we both know I will."

"Fine," she said giving up, "I'll meet you. What time?"

"Noon," he said with a smile, "We'll have lunch."

"I can't wait," she said with a smile of her own, "now you have to leave. Good night Shawn."

"Good night Meems," he said hugging her one last time before going to the balcony. He knew he left his jacket on her bed, but he needed to make sure she would show up tomorrow. She couldn't change her mind if she had to return his jacket. He knew she would never ask a servant to return his jacket. He found going back down a lot easier than going up. Once he was to the ground he looked up at Mimi with a smile and waved to her before going off into the night. "You'll be mine soon," he said victoriously, "and then I will use you to destroy you're entire family."

Mimi watched him until he was out of sight, "What am I getting myself into?" she asked herself. She walked about into her room and smiled when she saw his jacket still on his bed. She smiled when she picked it up; she knew he left it here on purpose to make sure that she would meet him tomorrow. She found herself smelling the jacket again, she looked at it again and frowned, "Can I even trust a single word that comes out of his mouth?"


	7. Deceive Her

**Chapter 6- Deceive Her**

Zach Brady woke up to his brother whistling a happy tune as he was once again going through his closet, "You do know you have your own closet," Zach said, "with your own clothes in it right?"

"Yes I do," Shawn said, "but you if you continue to take my clothes I have to continue to come in here to reclaim them."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Zach said hoping Shawn didn't find the clothes he hid in there.

"Too late," Shawn said holding up his arm, "I found all of my clothes already." He turned around to face his brother who had just got out of bed, "You really need to stop taking what belongs to me."

"Don't you mean 'taking what doesn't belong to you' Shawn?" Zach asked with a smirk.

He stood there tapping his finger to his chin as he pretended to think about it, "No," he finally said after a good thirty seconds, "Take anybody's stuff all you want, just don't take my stuff."

"Got yah," Zach said, "So did last night go?" Zach really hoped Shawn would say that is was a total disaster and his plan would not work.

"Great," Shawn said with a huge smile, "I'm buying her lunch today."

"_Or not,"_ Zach thought to himself as he tried to keep his disappointment off of his face. "Where are you going to go for lunch?" Zach asked, "The whole town knows about the Lockhart's and the Brady's."

"Not the whole town," Shawn said, "just the part where we live in…but come to think about I don't think the diner is a good idea."

"Really?" Zach said hopefully. _"Maybe he's giving up on the ridiculous plan that will backfire,"_ he thought.

"I'm thinking a picnic would be much better," Shawn said.

"_I guess not."_

"It's brilliant," Shawn said, "It gives us privacy with the food I promised."

"Shawn please stop this now," Zach said, "this is going to be disastrous not only for her but for you. You can't just play with someone else's emotions and not expect to be sucked in yourself."

"Listen carefully Zach," Shawn said, "because I'm getting tired to repeating this. So this is the last time I will say it." Shawn watched his little brother roll his eyes at him, "I will not, I repeat I **will not** fall in love with the enemy."

"I didn't say love," Zach said, "I said get attached."

"Fine," Shawn said, "I will not get attached at any emotional level with her with the exclusion of hatred. Because I hate her with ever fiber of my being and I will continue to hate her until the day I die. Do you understand me?"

"Shawn…"

"I said," Shawn said with anger laced in his voice as he pined his brother to the wall with this murderous stare, "Do you understand me little boy!"

"Yes," Zach whispered. He was ashamed of the sigh of relief he let out when Shawn backed away.

"Good," Shawn growled, "because only a fucking parrot repeats itself repeatedly!" He started walking out the door, but not before he heard his little brother spoke his final words.

"Just don't come crawling back to me when this blows up in your face," Zach said, "because I will say I told you so." Shawn glared at him before slamming the door shut behind him. Zach was getting tired to this game Shawn was playing with Mimi. He knew it was going to end badly and Shawn was going full speed ahead without even thinking about the cliff at the end of the tracks. "God help him," Zach said, "Gran and Grandpa, help him, and guide him. He's in over his head and he doesn't even know it."

It was 11:45 and Shawn was waiting outside of the diner for Mimi. He wanted to get there early incase she somehow became an early person the six years they were apart. He couldn't get Zach's voice out of his head. His brother was wrong. There was no way he was going to get involve with Miriam Lockhart. He was just going to use her and throw her away like yesterday's trash. She meant noting to him except for the key to putting her family away for the rest of their lives. He glanced at his watch and it was 12:05. He looked around for Mimi but still couldn't see her. _"She wouldn't stand me up,"_ he thought, _"Would she?"_ He waited ten more minutes and becoming angrier with every passing minute. He felt like an ass. She had stood him up after everything he did to guarantee this meeting. "For Christ's sake I nearly broke his neck climbing up that fucking tree!" he growled to himself. He looked around again and there was still no sign of her. "That bitch is going down," he mumbled to himself, "for doing this to me."

"Shawn!" Mimi yelled.

Shawn looked up and saw Mimi running towards him with a remorseful expression on her face. He couldn't help but to notice how beautiful she looked in a simple tank top and knee length skirt.

"I am so sorry I am late," Mimi said.

"It's okay," Shawn said, "You're usually late."

"I'm sorry," she said again, "I was just about to leave when my brother started playing twenty questions. I got out of there as soon as I could."

"Did you tell him about me?" Shawn asked.

She gave him a "you're kidding me"look before saying, "I told him I was meeting with an old friend for lunch and he had made me late."

"Old friend huh?" he said smiling.

"Well it's true," Mimi said with a beautiful smile of her own, "Shall we?" gesturing to the door.

"I thought that maybe we could change the venue a little," Shawn said.

"How little?" she asked.

"I woke up and saw it was a beautiful day and I thought that a picnic would be nice," he said, "I know a place were no one will bother us. A magical place where we won't be Shawn Douglas Brady and Miriam Lockhart sworn enemies but just Shawn and Meems. It's really beautiful place."

"Lead the way Obi-wan," she said with a smile.

Shawn extended his arm to her and escorted her properly to his truck. He opened the door for her. She immediately noticed the picnic basket and blanket on the seat between them and heard him close the door after her. He walked around the truck and got in himself. As they drove to Shawn's destination they were catching each other up about what happened the past years they were apart.

Mimi was in the middle of telling her about how she met Ross when she felt the truck stop. She looked around at the open field full of daisies. Beyond the field was a small lake. "This place is beautiful."

"Yeah beautiful," he said looking at her.

Mimi felt his gaze on her and blushed a little. She opened the door and grabbed the blanket only to feel his hand resting on hers. She looked up at him with a confused expression.

"You're my guest," Shawn said, "that means I do the manual labor."

"Okay," she said with a smile, "I'll let you carry the basket." She quickly pulled the blanket out from under his hand and got out of the truck. She smiled at him victoriously as she waved the blanket at him.

Shawn couldn't stop a genuine laugh from escaping his lips as he grabbed the basket and followed her towards the water. When he caught up to her he tried to grab the blanket but she protested. Every time he grabbed for the blanket, she would pull it away at the last second. He settled for holding her hand instead, he tried to shake off the sparks he felt when he grabbed her hand. "This is it," he said setting down the basket and tried again to take the blanket from her. He laughed when she shook her head no and started to lay it on the ground. Shawn grabbed the other end and they both placed the blanket on the ground.

Mimi kicked off her flip flops and looked at Shawn. He put the basket on the blanket and patted the spot next to him. She said down and looked at her surroundings, "How did you find this place?"

"Gran," Shawn said, "She took me out here when I was a kid. She wanted to share this special place with me before she got too old to travel out here."

"Why is this place special to her?" she asked.

"This is where she met my grandpa for the first time," Shawn said, "this is where he proposed to her." He pointed at a beautiful oak tree behind her, "There is were he craved their initials after she said yes."

"Wow," she said.

"Yeah," Shawn said looking at the water.

"Who else knows about this place?" she asked.

"Just me," Shawn said and then turned to her, "and you."

Mimi looked at him with wide eyes. She couldn't believe that he would share something so personal with her after all these years. She was his sworn enemy and he shared something so close to his heart with her. She looked away, not wanting to let him see the tears that were in her eyes. No one shared something so personal with her before, not even Ross. When she looked back he was going through the basket.

Shawn was trying to cover his own feelings of torment and disgust. He couldn't believe he actually brought her here. All the places in Salem he could have brought her to, it had to be this place, his special place. He didn't even realize it until he told her how he knew of this place. He wanted to hurt himself for being so stupid. He let the enemy into one of his sanctuaries and he didn't even think about it until he told her about how he knew this place. _"You're an idiot Shawn,"_ he thought to himself, _"When this all blows over you won't have this place anymore. You stupid bastard! You need to start thinking things through!"_ He felt Mimi's hand on his shoulder. He looked at her and could see her eyes were glassy, she was holding back the tears.

"Thank you Shawn," she said, "for sharing something so special with me."

"It's nothing," Shawn said. He still couldn't believe he did that. He only has two sanctuaries in this world and now he's down to one. And that one was the hardest to get to.

"It's not nothing," she said, "It's something. I promise you that someday I'll bring you to my special place that no one knows of."

He smiled at this, maybe his sacrifice wouldn't be for nothing, but then he frowned, "Someday?" he asked, "Why not now?"

"I need to trust you first," she said, he was about to open his mouth to speak when she continued, "And I'm not there yet. I know that sounds awful since you trusted me enough with this," she gestured to her surroundings, "but after Ross…I'm just not ready to put myself out there yet."

He nodded with understanding. She was going to take longer than he originally thought but he could still see the light at the end of the tunnel, it was just further away. "Does Ross know of your place?"

"No one," she said, "not even my family. That's why I need more time. It's a huge step for me to take."

"I understand," Shawn said, "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"What happened with Ross?" Shawn said, "How did you go from engaged to this?"

"I don't really know," Mimi said, "I met him at a party my father had. He seemed nice and I was attracted to him. We spent time together and I grew to love him. I thought I gave him all of me but he insisted I was holding back. That I wasn't letting him in all the way." She wiped away the tears and struggled to continue.

"You don't have to…"

"I have to," she said, "I need to tell someone. I'm carrying so many secrets for someone else that I have no room for my own." She was thinking of her mother's secrets and how they were slowly killing her from the inside.

"You can trust me with anything," Shawn said with a small smile. Inside he was jumping for joy. He knew she was the weakest link, he just didn't know that she carried secrets as well.

"He said it was my fault he cheated," Mimi said, "Can you believe it? He cheats on me and somehow it's my fault!"

"It's his fault," Shawn said, "not yours."

"He said I wouldn't give him all of me and he was tired to it," Mimi said, "I thought he was the one who was going to love me forever and…and…" the tears poured from her eyes.

Shawn's heart broke a little for her and he quickly suppressed those feelings. He didn't care for her; he just wanted to use her. He pulled her into his arms and rubbed her back. "Shish," he said, "It's going to be okay. It will just take time."

"He said he loved me," Mimi said, "but I know it wasn't true. Part of me always knew it, that's why I held back."

"What do you mean?" Shawn asked as he continued to hold her and comfort her.

"He was just using me to get to my family," she said, "He didn't love me. He loved the idea of what I could do for him; that I could give him complete access to my family. And that's what he wanted most in this world. I was just a means to getting there."

Shawn swallowed the lump in his throat. Ross wasn't just her fiancé; he was just using her for her family's connections. His heart raced as she said.

"Never again will I let someone use me to get to my family."

"_This just got a whole lot more complicated,"_ he thought, _"Maybe I can still get to her. It will just take longer. But I will invest years if I have to. I will not let the Lockhart's destroy anyone in my family ever again."_

"You're heart is racing," she said as she looked up at him, "You're crying."

"What?" Shawn said as he felt her fingers wipe away tears he didn't even know he was shedding. _"Why am I crying?"_

"You're crying," she said again, "and you're heart is racing. Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry," Shawn said, "Just hearing what that bastard did to you is making my blood boil and my heart break. I just want to go and kick his ass for what he put you through."

She just smiled and hugged him again, even tighter than before. "Thanks Shawn," she said, "I'm glad you came to Tuscany's that day. I'm glad you decided to put yourself first. I'm glad you're here for me."

"Me too," he mumbled into her neck. He couldn't pin point that feeling in his heart. Was it guilt? And if it was, why was it there? He didn't feel guilty for what he was going to do to her. She was a Lockhart and Lockhart's don't have feelings…..right?


	8. Lie to Her

**Chapter 7- Lie to Her**

_**Two months later…**_

_Shawn climbed up the tree to Mimi's balcony. He saw her lying on the bed in tears and it broke his heart. All he wanted to do was run to her and hold her in his arms. He wanted to whisper assurances into ear and promises of kicking whoever's ass that made her cry like this.  
But he couldn't and he hated the fact he couldn't. No, he hated Patrick Lockhart for being the one that was comforting her. He wanted every fiber of his being to be the one holding her. What seemed like forever, Patrick finally got up to leave. He pulled the covers over his sister and kissed her forehead before leaving. He noticed that she was asleep in her bed, but the tears were still falling. He climbed over the balcony with much more grace than his first attempt. He snuck into her room and crawled into bed with her. He held her in his arms and whispered the comforting words he wanted to say since the moment he saw her crying._

"_Shawn," she said opening her eyes and looking at him, "what are you doing here?"_

"_My heart told me that you needed me," he said, "So I came running." He didn't know why but those words seemed to make her cry more, "What's the matter?"_

"_Why do you care?" she asked, "I'm a Lockhart and you hate me."_

"_I don't hate you," Shawn assured her, "and I do care."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because I love you," he said before kissing her with all the love he felt for her. The kissed became more intense and urgent as Shawn's fingers went to the hem of her night gown and was about to pulled it over her head, "Are you sure?" he asked._

"_More than anything in my life," she whispered back, "make love to me Shawn. I need you, I love you."_

_Shawn didn't need anymore encouragement. He pulled her night gown off of her then she pulled his shirt. Soon they were naked and kissing each other like animals in heat. He was about to connect their bodies together when he looked at her for assurance. She nodded her head before kissing him again._

"NOOOO!!!!!!!" Shawn screamed as he sat straight up in his bed. He was covered in sweat as he looked around his surroundings. "Oh thank God it was only a dream," he said falling back onto his bed, covering his face with his hands, "More like a nightmare. Why was I dreaming about making love to Mimi? This doesn't make any sense. I hate her." He looked down and noticed how excited the dream had made him, "Great," he mumbled to himself.

"Shawn," Bo said running into his room, "What's the matter?" His eyes scanned the room looking for the possible intruder.

"Nothing," he said as he tried to hide the fact that he was excited from his father, "I just had a nightmare."

"About what?" Bo asked.

Shawn hesitated, if he told Bo what he was really dreaming he wouldn't allow him to continue to see Mimi. He needed to see her and he wouldn't give this up. He was determined to figure out what David Lockhart was up to. "I dreamt about Lockhart," Shawn said trying his best put disgust in his voice, _"Part of it is true"_ he thought to himself, _"And I really need to take care of my problem here."_

"What happened?"

"It was just about the plane crash," Shawn said, "I saw it happen and was helpless to do anything."

"We'll get him," Bo assured his son as he sat down on the bed, "How is the progress on Mimi going?"

"Slow," Shawn said with disappointment, "If I wanted to be her best friend, then I'd say its going wonderful. She doesn't trust me enough yet."

"How much longer?" Bo asked, "This has been going on for too long."

"Ross did a real number on her," Shawn said, "Which I guess was my own fault. I didn't except her to clam up the way she did. It will take more time to behind her walls, but I'm getting there. I just need more time."

"Okay," Bo said, "Just as long as you remember she's the enemy and not your friend."

"She'll never mean more to me than complete and utter hatred," Shawn said. He couldn't pin point the guilt that crept into his heart when he said those words. Shawn felt like he was going crazy with the conflicting emotions he was feeling since that day he took Mimi to his secret place. He couldn't stop himself from thinking about her. His mother even caught him daydreaming about Mimi and asked him who the lucky girl was that he was falling for. Shawn brushed her comment off because he refused to believe those existed. He wasn't falling for Miriam Lockhart, he couldn't….he wouldn't. "I want to go back to sleep," he said, "I'm tired."

"Okay," Bo said. He was getting worried about Shawn. He thought that he was getting too close to Mimi and the lines were blurring. But Shawn continually assured him that nothing was going on. He was only using her for information and nothing more. "Good night Shawn," Bo said before leaving his room.

"Night Dad," Shawn called after him. When he was once again alone in his room, his thoughts drifted back to Mimi. "Am I getting in over my head?" he said to no one, "Nah, I don't care about her. I don't like her. I can't like her. She's the enemy. That's all." He tried to make himself believe those words were true, but somewhere deep down he knew that wasn't true. He got out of bed to take a cold shower to help take care of his problem. After his shower he tried to get some sleep, but found it impossible with all the thoughts racing through his mind. He decided to take a walk and let his feet decide his destination.

Mimi was pacing back and forth in her room since it arrived. She was never afraid of a piece of paper so much in her entire life. Someone knew. She didn't know who this person was either. But they were blackmailing her with the information. All she wanted to do was lie on the bed and cry. Her mother's secrets were slowly killing her from in the inside out. It was getting too much for her to carry by herself, but she couldn't tell anyone. Her mother made her promise not to tell anyone, especially her father and brother. If they knew it would destroy them. Mimi vowed to her mother that she would not be the downfall of her family. She would be strong. But she never imagined in a million years how much strength it took to carry this secret. She looked at the note again before clasping on her bed in tears, "I don't have the strength for this," she said through her tears, "I can't do this. Why would she make me carry this around? Why Mom? Why?"

"Mimi?" Patrick asked as he knocked on the door before opening it.

Mimi hid the letter under her pillow before he walked in.

"What's the matter?" he asked, "I could hear you crying as I passed by."

"I just hurt all over," she said, "and I don't know how to make this pain go away."

"Is this about Ross?" he asked as he sat down next to her and pulled her into a tight embrace.

Mimi wanted to scream _"No you idiot! I'm not that pathetic!"_ but she couldn't. So she allowed her brother to believe she was still crying over a man she long sense forgotten, ever since Shawn-Douglas Brady waltzed back into her life. "Yeah," she said, "but not so much him."

"I'm afraid you lost me."

"I just don't know if I can ever trust another man again," she said, "outside of you and Daddy of course."

"You will," Patrick said, "Ross wasn't the one."

"How do you know?" she asked him.

"Because he broke you the way he did," he said simply.

His words went straight to her heart. Shawn had said the same exact thing to her two months ago. She tried to deny it and he saw right through her tough act.

Shawn couldn't believe where his feet led him. He was standing outside of Mimi's balcony. Not only was he here but he had already started climbing the tree before he could fully process that he was standing outside of her window. He reached the top of the tree he had a since of déjà vu when he saw Mimi crying in Patrick's arms. "You're awake right Brady?" he asked pinching himself hard, "Fuck'n A that hurt like hell!" he whispered to himself as he rubbed his arm. He watched Mimi lie down on the bed and Patrick kiss her forehead as he tucked her in. He watches Patrick look at her one more time before leaving her. Shawn climbed onto the balcony with grace he wished he had the first time he did it. He went into her room and was about to climb into bed when he remembered his dream. He decided to kneel in front of her instead, "Hey sleeping beauty," he said tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear, "What's wrong?"

Mimi jumped at the contact and tried to hide the note she was looking at again. "Shawn what are you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep," he said, "So I went for a walk, my feet led me here."

"You shouldn't be here," she said stuffing the note under her pillow.

"What are you hiding?"

"I don't know what you're…" she stopped talking when she looked at Shawn's face. "It's complicated."

"Can I help uncomplicated it?" he asked; hoping that after all of this time, he would finally be getting some useful information.

"I can't tell you," she said.

"Why not?" he said, "I can help."

"I can't tell you," she said, "I made a promise to not tell anymore…especially my dad and Patrick."

"I'm not either of them," he said, trying not to be too forward with her, "you can tell me. I'll keep it a secret."

"How can I trust you?" she snapped at him. She immediately regretted it when she saw his face fall.

"I took you to the one place that no one knows of," he said, "I trusted you."

"I'm not…I can't….It's complicated."

"Is it serious?"

"No," she lied.

He didn't believe her. His gave her a look at let her know it.

"It's serious," she said, "I'm being blackmailed. And I don't know what to do. It's not even my secret, but I have to protect the secret."

"Why can't you take it to your family?" he asked. He was completely confused.

"I already told you I can't!" she hissed at him.

"Tell me," he said, "I can help make it go away."

"Why do you care?" she asked bitterly, "I'm a Lockhart, you should be jumping for joy that this is happening to me."

"That's harsh."

"It's the truth," she said, "Your dad will throw a party the day I die or anyone else in my family for that matter."

"I'm not my father," he said.

"Why do you care?"

"Because," he said. _"Why do I care so much?" _he thought to himself, _"Because I want this information to destroy her with…that's right." _

"Because is not an answer Shawn," she said.

"Because I think I'm falling in love with you," Shawn said without thinking. His eyes widen with hers. _"What the hell was that?"_

"What!" she nearly screamed. She quickly found Shawn's hand over her mouth.

"Mimi…" he said lowering his hand.

"Leave," she said, "Patrick will be back about a minute."

"I want to help," he said as they heard the knock.

"Mimi," Patrick said, "Can I come in?"

"One second," she yelled to her brother before turning her attention to Shawn, "Take it with you," handing him the note, "but you have to go."

Shawn ran out of the room and down the tree as Mimi opened the door giving him a lie about a stubbed toe. Shawn ran back to his house with note in hand. He was torn inside. Part of him was happy he finally gained her trust while the other part felt guilty for doing this to her. But what really through him for a loop was his confession of falling in love. "I don't love her," he said, "I can't be falling in love with her. She's the enemy." He walked into his house and to his room. He turned on a lamp and read the note. "This doesn't make any sense," he said as he reread the note. He looked down at four simplistic words that confused him to no end. It simply said _"I know her secret."_


	9. Mislead Her

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing, but the poems are written by me.**

**Chapter 8 Mislead Her**

Shawn was pacing back and forth in his room for the passed hour. Zach was sitting on the bed watching his brother's face as he was processing whatever piece of information was going through his head. Zach sighed, wishing he had the ability to read minds because then maybe he would understand his brother's actions. "Would you please stop that," Zach said, "I'm going to throw up from watching you pace back and forth like that. It's nauseating!"

"Sorry," Shawn mumbled as he made no attempt to stop moving.

Zach sighed again before getting of the bed and putting a hand on his brother's arm, "Stop moving and talk to me."

"You wouldn't understand," Shawn said looking at his brother in the face before stopped walking.

"You don't think I don't understand," Zach said, "I understand. The problem is you aren't going to want to hear it!"

"What are you blabbing on about?" Shawn said frustrated. He didn't have time to deal with Zach. This note Mimi got yesterday was still plaguing his mind. He could feel his heart aching with the knowledge that Mimi could be in danger. And that pissed him off beyond measure. _"I don't care about her,"_ he said to his himself for the eightieth time that hour, _"So quit this damn aching shit…it's probably heartburn, not heartache….yeah that has to be it…those nachos I didn't eat yesterday are finally catching up to me!"_

"You're falling in love with her!" Zach said seriously, "and if you don't get out now it's going to be too late."

"You have no idea what you are talking about," Shawn said, quickly dismissing his brother's accusations. No matter how close to home they it hit. He had bigger problems to deal with and those concerned a certain confusing note and someone named Miriam Lockhart.

"You need to get out now before you fall in love with her Shawn," Zach said, "I'm serious. You need to get out now before you're in too deep. This is going to blow up in your face!"

"It's already blowing up in my face!" Shawn yelled as he got in Zach's face, "I can see the damn proof I need to lock that family away forever and she doesn't trust me to give it to me!"

"Do you blame her!" Zach screamed, refusing to back down, "You're no better than Ross! And she knows it. Deep down inside she knows it and that's why she continues to shut you out! Get out now before you're in too deep. Please Shawn, get out now!"

"NO!"

"I'm going to tell Dad," Zach said, "He'll make you leave. Get out of that bitch's life…" Zach never finished his sentence because Shawn had punched him in the face. His hands covered his injured nose as he looked at his brother with wide eyes; he would see the shock in Shawn's face as well.

Shawn didn't even know he was doing it until he fist had made contact with Zach's face. Zach had called Mimi a bitch and before he could even think about it he had hit his own brother. He couldn't believe he just hit his kid brother. _"What the hell is wrong with me?"_ was the only though racing through his mind. It was soon joined with _"Did I just defend Mimi's honor to my brother? No, I wasn't defending Mimi's honor…I was…I was…I was pissed off at the ungrateful bastard…that's it!"_ He didn't know what to say, how to react. He wasn't even sure why he did it.

"She's a bitch Shawn!" Zach said as he saw Shawn's surprise gaze turn ice cold, "And that bitch is controlling you," Zach was slammed against the wall by his brother. He could see the rage in Shawn's eyes, "She's in control of you, not the other way around! Look at you! You're acting more like a jilted lover than a man who claims to hate her with an ungodly passion!"

Shawn slammed Zach hard against the wall again, "You listen to me you piece of crap. I am the one in control here. **She** is the puppet and **I** am the puppet master!" He slammed Zach even harder against the wall, "Do you understand me!" Zach mumbled something and Shawn threw him against the wall again, his voice full of malice he gave his brother a look that should have killed him on the spot, "I said do you understand me!"

"Yes sir!" Zach said sarcastically, only to be punched in the face again by an enraged Shawn.

"You are an inconsiderate, worthless, dumbass! You have no idea what I am sacrificing for this family!" he threw Zach towards the wall on the other side of the room.

Zach stumbled before falling onto the floor. He looked at his brother with wide eyes, he was terrified. He never, ever saw Shawn this angry before in his life. He watched his brother walk towards him like a lion to his prey. His eyes flared with emotion Zach never seen before. Shawn was like a man possessed…possessed by what, he was not sure.

"You ungrateful spoiled rotten **little boy** who will have the world open to him when he graduates high school," Shawn said, leaning down, grabbing his collar and pulling Zach up to his face, "While I live this life! The one **our father** mapped out for **me** while you get to chose do to whatever your fucking heart desires! So don't you ever," he grabbed Zach by the collar and slammed him against the wall again, "_**EVER**_ question my loyalty to _**THIS FAMILY**_! Ever again! Do you hear me!" He let go of Zach and let his body fall to the ground, "Are you even listening you spoiled little imbecile!"

Zach laid there shell shocked. He never knew the pressure Shawn was under. Shawn never lost it like this before which either meant that he was falling for Mimi or he was feeling guilty for betraying someone that could have been a wonderful friend to him if her last name wasn't Lockhart…or maybe both. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He merely nodded yes.

"Good," Shawn said, "so go have a happy childhood at **my **expense."

Shawn's bitter words and hit him hard in his heart. He watched Shawn leave the room. All he wanted to know was what did Shawn give up for him? And did he really want to know?

Shawn left his room, trying to control his breathing. He didn't know where that outburst had come from and why he took it out on Zach. He reached into his pocket and grabbed the note Mimi gave him yesterday and his heart began to ache again. He read it again _I know her secret_ and was still confused by the meaning. It couldn't be Mimi's secret that this person knew otherwise it would have said "I know your secret." But it read "her secret." Whose secret was she protecting? Was she in danger? And if so how much danger? His heart ached more at the thought of someone hurting his Mimi. "My Mimi?" Shawn whispered to himself, "Where the hell did that one come from?" He knew there was only one person that could answer his questions, well at least ones that didn't involve his heart. He grabbed his jacket before leaving his house. He hopped on his motorcycle and sped off to the Lockhart's. He had to see Mimi. He needed to see her. He knew his mind would not be put to ease until he saw for his own eyes that she was okay.

Mimi paced back and forth; "This can't be happening!" she said to no one in particular, "Why is this happening now? It's been six years! Six years! Why are they coming with me for this now!" She looked down at the note that was delivered to her this morning via UPS. Someone knew what happened all those years ago and she was stuck with the clean up. Mimi didn't know if she could do this…whatever this was. She wasn't a violent person, how can she protect this secret. She needed help but couldn't ask for it. If she told her father or brother it would destroy her family. She couldn't be responsible for that, that's why she carried her mother's secret with her all these years. Family loyalty means something to her. She couldn't be the one that broke her family. She looked at the note again. _"Pay me 10 million dollars or else the world will know about her secret in tomorrow's papers. I'll call at 10am. Wait for my instructions."_ She sighed for the tenth time that hour. It didn't seem fair that she will be the one to pay for her mother's secret.

Her thoughts shifted to Shawn. She remembered the way she treated him last night and she was ashamed. He wanted to help her. She could see it in his eyes. She wanted to help her and she shut him out. She questioned his motivates and loyalty to her when he has done nothing but try to be her friend. He took her to his secret place; the gesture alone told her that he trusted her. So why couldn't she just trust him. "I'm such a jerk!" she screamed.

"No you're not."

Mimi screamed and turned towards the voice. Her hand hit her chest and terror was written all over her face, her face quickly turned to anger when she noticed who was standing in her room, "You sacred the living shit out of me!"

"Sorry."

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I was worried about you."

"Why?" she asked, immediately kicking herself when she saw his face drop.

"Sorry I cared," he snapped back at her, "Sorry I spent the whole night and morning worried about my friend…" He turned to leave.

"Shawn," she said, placing her hand on his arm before he could slip outside to her balcony, "I'm sorry. I'm just stressed." She tried really heard to keep the tears at bay but as soon as she had sniffed she felt his strong arms wrap around her and pull her into a tight embrace.

"Let me help you," he pleaded with her. He hated to see her like this; he hated to see her crying. He wanted to kill whoever was putting her through this. He hated himself for caring.

"You are," she said into this chest.

"I'm not doing anything," he said, laughing at the absurdness of her comment, "I don't even know what's going on. How can I be helping?"

"By being here," she said. She pulled herself out of his embrace and felt his fingers wipe away her tears, "I'm ready."

He looked at her confused, "Ready for what?"

"To show you my secret place," she said turning around and going to the nightstand next to her bed.

Shawn watched her as she set an envelope on her nightstand. It looked like the one she gave him last night. His heart started racing at the thought of her already getting another one. He walked over by her and grabbed it. "What's this?"

"Not my secret place," she said grabbing it from him and putting it back down. She was grateful he respected her enough to leave it alone. "Now I know this isn't as beautiful as the lake. But it's my secret place." She placed a book in his hands.

He looked at the book in his hands, completely confused, "I don't get it."

"I don't have a place that I can call my own," she said, "a place that I can go to and leave my thoughts there. So I made one."

"This," he said, waving the book.

"Yeah," she said, "it's my secret place. It holds my thoughts and feelings. It's me."

Shawn cursed himself, more like his heart, for racing the instant he heard her say those words. He came here to demand her to let him help…but instead….instead she let him into herself. He couldn't think. He didn't know what to say. When he brought Mimi to his secret place, it was unconscious decision he didn't even know he made until it was too late. And then he kicked himself for it. But her, she thought about it and is now standing here practically bearing her soul to him…her secret place. He couldn't help but to smile at the memory of her telling him that she never shared this place with anyone…not even Ross. That thought made his smile grow even bigger. He looked like a kid at Christmas with a million presents under the tree.

"Stop that," she said smiling.

"Stop what?"

"Smiling," she said, "it's embarrassing. You're acting like this is a big thing."

"You're right, it's not a big thing," Shawn said, "This is a huge thing…a gigantic thing….a enormous thing…a..."

"I think I get where you're going with that," she said, she could feel her cheeks getting red, "so you can stop embarrassing me. I don't want my cheeks to get any redder than they already are!"

He set the book down and pulled her into a long tight embrace, "Thank you for letting me in. I feel so honored and humbled. I feel unworthy."

"You're not," she said, "You're Shawn. And I can trust you with this. I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean it. I know I can trust you. I hate to admit this but…"

"I know."

"How do you know?" she asked.

"I know that Ross did a real number on you," Shawn said, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear, "and I knew it was going to take you a long time to trust me. I told you I'd wait forever for you."

"I know," she said, she grabbed the envelope and her phone from the nightstand. She walked to the balcony door; she turned around and looked at him, "I need to take care of something. Will you be here when I'm done?"

"I have to," he said, "You're going to be blocking my exit." He winked at her, with his goofy smile still plastered to his face.

"Oh," she said realizing it, "I can…"

"I'm just teasing you baby," Shawn said. His eyes widen with hers.

"_Did he just call me baby?" _

"_Did I just call her baby?"_ he thought, _"I did! Just act normal Brady…you dumbass."_ "There is no place I'd rather be than here." He returned her smile and watched her go out into the balcony. When she was gone he sat on her bed with his back against the frame and his legs spread out in front of him. He grabbed the book Mimi called her secret place and flipped through it. He found it to be quotes from movies, books, song lyrics, some poems by Yeats, Whitman, and Elliot; as well as some of her own. His eyes grazed over the words, not sure if he was suppose to read it with her a few feet away, with her, or later by himself. His eyes stopped at her last two poems she wrote. They had yesterday's date by them.

_I'm a fake_

_I'm a fraud_

_I'm a shell of a person who never was_

_Am I even allowed to call myself a person?_

_Maybe not_

_I'm an inconvenience that seems more like it_

_I'm an inconvenience to the world that the world could do without_

_I'm a fake_

_I'm a fraud_

_I'm a phony_

_I'm an inconvenience_

_I AM NOT ALLOWED TO EXIST!_

"What's going on inside that head of yours baby?" he said, "Why won't you let me in?" His eyes looked at the other one she wrote last night.

_Falling_

_There is no other word to describe it_

_I'm falling and I can't seem to save myself_

_I claw my fingers against the smooth walls_

_But I can't stop my descent_

_I'm falling deeper into the darkness_

_Waiting_

_Waiting for help or to hit that preverbal rock bottom_

_Surrounded by a see of faces_

_But no one can hear me screaming_

_So I wait_

_I wait to hit the bottom_

_Where I breathe my last breath_

_I wait to die_

_Because no one can see me falling_

_No one can see me dying_

Her poem shattered his hearts into jagged little pieces that cut deep into his ribcage. He wiped the tears he did not know he was shedding. She was in so much pain. He vowed to himself not to make her cry…but how could he make that vow? It was his plan to use her to put away her family. His plan was to hurt her. He felt conflicted and torn into two because of loyalty; loyalty to her and loyalty to his family. He looked through the window to see her scared face as she talked to someone. All he could wonder was why she wouldn't let him in all the way. He saw the phone leave her ear and her shaking hands drop her phone. He saw her legs giving out on her and ran to her.

As soon as Mimi went outside she waited for her phone to ring. She clutched the latest note to her chest. She didn't even bother to wipe the tears from her eyes. They wouldn't stop falling from her eyes so she gave up on that battle. "Why Mom?" she said looking up to the sky, "Why would you do this to me?" The sound of her phone surprised her and she jumped. She took a deep breath before answering, "Hello?"

"Do you agree to my terms?" a computerized voice said.

"Its too much money," she said, "my father will…"

"You either pay me or your father can read about your mother's secret in the papers tomorrow along with the rest of Salem."

"I need more time," she pleaded, "It's too much money to get at such a short notice."

"You're a Lockhart," the voice taunted her; "I know you won't have any problem getting it. Do we have a deal or do I get to make news history?"

"You have a deal," Mimi said, trying to keep the fear from her voice. She surprised herself by sounding collected and confident when she was falling apart on the inside.

"I'll send you another letter within the hour with the address..."

"No," she said, "We will do the drop on my terms."

"Don't test me little girl."

"I'm not a little girl," she said forcibly. She did not want to go into a shady neighborhood, she needed to have some control over this, "Or no money. Newspaper will not pay you the way I can."

"Fine," the voice said, "but no funny business. You will be alone."

"I'll be alone and bringing the money," she said, "You bring your end of the bargain."

"Where?"

"The warehouse distract," she said, "go to warehouse number seven. It belongs to my family. There was a fire a few years back, so it's abandoned. No one will be within a ten mile radius."

"See you at seven o'clock princess."

Her hands were shaking as she brought the phone from her ear and closed it. _"What have I gotten myself into?"_ she thought. She felt the phone drop from her hands and heard it hit the ground. She felt her other hand let go of the letter. She couldn't believe she was doing this. She didn't have the heart for her father and brother's lifestyle; she wasn't supposed to become this person who does shady business deals. She was becoming someone she wasn't supposed to be…all because of her mother's own selfish desires. Her legs felt like jell-o and gave out on her. She felt her body falling and closed her eyes tight as she waited to hit the ground but she never did. Instead she felt two strong arms catch her. She felt one hand leave her waist to her back and the other one travel down to her knees. She felt those strong arms pick her up and pull her close to his body. She could see them walking back into her room. "What are you doing?" she asked him. She was too afraid to look at him so she kept her gaze at his chest.

"Catching you," he said as he sat down on the bed and continued to cradle her body in his arms, "I'll always be here to catch you."

Her head snapped up at his words. She looked into his eyes and could see his heart breaking for her. It took a second for the realization to hit her…he had read her poem.


	10. Help Her

**Author's Note: **I'm sorry I've been MIA. Hope you like the update! Poems are written by me.

**Warning:** There is violence in this chapter.

**Chapter 9- Help Her **

Shawn had spent the last few hours holding Mimi in his arms and has she cried on and off. When he thought she was done crying, he would hear her sniffle and feel more tears soak his shirt. It was breaking his heart to see her like this. He didn't know what was going on. All he knew was that he was going to slowly kill whoever was making her cry like this. And he hated himself for caring. He hated himself with a passion that was suppose to be reserved for her. He couldn't understand why he didn't loathe her like he did a month ago. Part of him wondered if Zach was right, that maybe he was having feelings for her that weren't hatred. Oh he really hated himself for thinking that. His thoughts were interrupted by another sob that escaped her lips, he pulled her tighter to her body, "Please baby," he said in a soothing voice, "let me in. Tell me what to do. I can make this all better. I can make it go away."

"You can't," she said, "I made a promise. I can't tell a soul. If my family found out…"

"I won't tell them," Shawn said wiping away her tears, "it will be our little secret."

"Trust me Shawn," she said, "its better that you don't know."

"You're scaring me baby," he said. _"Why the hell do I keep calling her baby! Stop it brain! Stop calling her baby!"_ he scolded himself in his mind.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I don't mean to. I can't tell you. Trust me, you'd wish I didn't tell you."

"I'd never wish that," he said, "because then I would be wishing away the trust you've given me. Let me help you baby. I'm _the_ badass that can clean this up for you."

"You shouldn't be fighting my battles," she said.

"I want to fight your battles," he said before he even could process that thought, "I want to kill all your demons."

"You can't," she said, she glanced at the time, "Oh my God! Is it really 2 o'clock!" She jumped out of his embrace and ran to find her purse.

"Yeah," he said, "you've been in and out of it for a while."

"I have to go," she said, "I have to do the impossible." She reached inside her purse and pulled out her cell phone putting it in her pocket. She grabbed her keys and put her purse back down.

"Let me help."

"Do you have an obscene amount of money on you?" she snapped.

"No," he said, not flinching at all at her tone. He knew she didn't mean it.

"Then you can't help me," Mimi said.

"Baby listen to me," he said grabbing her arms and looking her in the eyes, "if you give into the blackmailers, they will continue to feed off of you the rest of your life. Even if you give them the money there is no guarantee that they won't reveal your secret."

"I have no choice!" she screamed at him, "I have to pay them off, if I don't they will sell it to the newspapers!"

"You have another choice," he said, "You're just not taking it."

"I'm not telling my family," she said as she started to walk away from him, "I have to go."

"That's not the choice I was referring to," he said grabbing her arm and stopping her from leaving him, "_I'm_ your other choice. I have experience with this baby. I can take care of this problem permanently without it costing you an obscene amount of money."

"You can't," she said freeing her arm from his grip and walked to the door.

"Why not?" Shawn asked, not ready to give up completely.

"Because you're not a Lockhart," she said slowing her stride or turning around to look at him, "and it's a Lockhart problem."

"Miriam," he said, stopping her at the door.

"Yes?" she said, not turning around to face him.

"Offer still stands," he said, "if you need it call me and I'll be there for you. You don't even have to tell me what this is all about, I'll still be there for you."

"I know," she said before closing the door.

Shawn looked around the room. He grabbed the book Mimi gave him to read over some more. He was hoping it would give him clues into her life. He walked out into the balcony and noticed her phone was still out there as well as the note. He grabbed them both and brought them inside. He hung up her phone and looked at the note. He was torn, should he read it or not. The Shawn that shouldn't care for her said to read it because it could give him clues into the shady dealings of the Lockhart clan but the Shawn that was her friend said it would be a violation of her trust and he shouldn't read it. But that Shawn also knew she was over her head and he could help her. Frustrated, he dropped the note on the table and walked out of the room. He grabbed the book and stuffed in down the backside of his pants so he would have his hands free to climb down the tree. He snuck back to his bike and drove off. The whole time he wondered if he had made the right decision to trust her.

Mimi drove to the abandoned warehouse with a bag that did not contain ten million dollars. It only had five million dollars, but that was all she could manage. She wasn't old enough to access into her trust fund yet and if she tried to get an early withdrawal her father would know about it faster than he would know about the five million she just took. "What have you gotten me into Mom?" she asked her. Mimi walked into the building and looked around to familiarize herself with it.

"You're late," a man's voice said behind her.

"I hit traffic," she said turning around. She did not recognize the man behind her. He was tall, dark hair and dark eyes.

"Where's my money?" he demanded.

"Where's the proof?" she demanded, "I want to see the photos."

"I have time in a safe location with a buddy of mine," he said, "Once I have the money, you get the address of where you can find the photos."

"That wasn't the deal," she said.

"You change locations, I change the drop," he said, "Where's my money?"

"I'm not giving you all the money without the photos," she said, "I'm not stupid."

"I have half of them," he said tossing them to her.

Mimi set down her bag and looked through them. She was horrified with what she saw. How could her mother do this? How could she be so reckless? Mimi wasn't paying attention to the man. When she looked up she noticed he had her bag and was looking through it.

"Is this all of it?" he asked.

"Yes," she said.

"It looks a little empty for ten million," he said, eyeing her suspiciously.

"It's all of it," she said.

"You don't lie very well," he said, walking fast towards Mimi. He slapped her in the face hard, sending her to the ground, "for that, I think its time to make headlines."

"NO!" Mimi yelled as he reached into his pocket to grab his cell phone. It slipped out of his hand and to the floor. He reached down to pick it up when Mimi grabbed a lead pipe next to her and hit him over the head as hard as he could. He fell to the ground unconscious. She dropped the pipe in shock, "Oh Lord," she said with wide eyes, "What have I done?"

Shawn was sitting in his room going through Mimi's book. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. He found himself praying to God that she wasn't endanger and then cursed himself for caring. "I shouldn't care about her," he said, "she means nothing to you, remember Brady? She's a means to the end, that's all." He shook his head in frustration, this inner battles he was having over his affections for Mimi was becoming too frequent for his liking. "I don't care about her, I can't," Shawn said, "I have to be loyal to my family." He let out another sigh before turning back to the book. He turned the page and one poem jumped out at him. It was dated from their high school days.

_I love him_

_I love him so much it hurts to know that he doesn't love me_

_I need him_

_I need him so much it hurts to know that he doesn't need me _

_I long to see him, to hear his voice_

_It hurts to know that he doesn't long for me the way I long for him_

_I love him_

_He loves someone else_

_I need him_

_He needs someone else_

_I am longing for him_

_He is longing for someone else._

_I am all alone_

_He has her to keep him company _

He couldn't stop the smile from forming on his face just at the thought that she was writing this about him. That she loved him in high school while he was dating Belle. "Belle," he said rolling his eyes, "talk about a walking disaster." He closed the book, looking at her words was slowly driving him crazy because it didn't stop him from thinking about her. It made him think about her more and worry about her more. He put it in his dresser under his boxers, knowing that no one would ever go into his underwear drawer, not even Zach. He grabbed the keys to his bike and decided to wait for Mimi at her house. He needed to see her and make sure she was okay. His cell phone rang the instant he shut the door to the house. "Hello?" he said.

"Oh my God! Oh my God! OH MY GOD!" Mimi said repeatedly.

"Baby?" he said, trying to keep his voice calm even though he was freaking out at the sound of her panic voice, "What happened?"

"Oh my God, Oh my God," she repeated continually, "What have I done?"

"Baby stop!" Shawn yelled into the phone and she stopped talking. "Now I want you to take deep breaths baby doll," he cooed, "Like me." Shawn inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. He repeated this a few more times, "Now tell me what's wrong?"

"I didn't…I couldn't…I'm sorry," she started rambling again.

"Baby you need to slow down you speech," he said.

"He took the money and knew it wasn't enough. He only gave me half of the photos and not the negatives. He hit me. He was going to call his partner to tell him to print it," she said, "and I hit him over the head…I think I killed him! Oh my God! Oh my God! I'm a murderer!"

"Baby, baby, baby, take a deep breath remember deep breathes," he said, when he noticed she wasn't following his instruction he spoke softer, "baby, take a deep breath with me." He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. He listened as she mimicked him and he did it again. "Now that you're calm," he said, "Does he have a pulse?"

"I don't know."

"Check," he said, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice as he punched the air.

Mimi bent down and slowly brought her hand to his neck. She checked the pressure point and let out a sigh of relief when she felt it move, "Yes."

"And I'm assuming he's unconscious?"

"Yes."

"Did you tie him up?" he asked.

"Why?"

"Because when he wakes up he's going to be fucking pissed off at you!" Shawn barked out.

"Don't yell at me!" she hissed back.

He took a deep breath to collect his thoughts, "I'm sorry baby," he said in a soothing voice, "I'm just frustrated that I'm not there with you."

"It's okay," she said with a sniffle.

"Please don't cry," he begged.

"I'm not…well just a little, but I think I have the right to Shawn!"

"I'm sorry again baby," he said, "Can you tie him up?"

"I don't have anything to bond him with," she said.

"Where are you?" Shawn said.

"Shawn, you can't be involved," she said.

"I am involved," Shawn said, "You're in over your head. Tell me where you are and I'll bring the rope." _"There's a sentence I never thought I'd say,"_ he thought to himself. He went back into his house and ran up stairs to his room.

"The abandon warehouse," she said, "its way in the back. It's my family's, there was a fire…not important, number seven."

"I'm there shortly," Shawn said, "if he moves hit him over the head again."

"Now is not the time for stupid jokes Shawn," Mimi said as she let out a frustrated sigh.

"I'm not joking," he said, "I'm serious. If he moves an inch, hit him that bastard over the head as hard as you can."

"Shawn…"

"Miriam," he said seriously, "as hard as you can and do not hold back. If he gets up you'll have a snow balls chance in hell of getting out of there."

"But Shawn…"

"He's not going to wake up until I say he can," he said again, his tone sterner than before, "I mean it. Hear my word and do as I say on this one without hesitation!"

His tone sent shivers down her spine, he sounded just like Patrick when he's dealing with situations like this. "Okay," she said, "hurry."

"I'm practically out the door now," Shawn said. He went into his closet and took out the box from the back corner of his closet on the floor. He pulled out the rope and took out his gun, putting it behind resting on the waistline of his jeans. He ran out the door and hopped into his truck with the appropriate supplies in the bed of the truck. Within minutes he was at the warehouse Mimi instructed him to be. "Mimi," he said walking in. He couldn't help but laugh at the sight of her holding the pipe like a baseball bat waiting to strike if the man stirred.

"Shawn!" she screamed. She dropped the pipe and ran over towards him, she stopped in her tracks when Shawn raised his hand up.

"Don't leave the weapon next to his body," Shawn lectured as he walked past her, "What if he wakes up! The jackass has a weapon and you're back to being helpless!" he picked up the lead pipe and held it in his hand.

"I'm sorry," she snapped, "I'm not good at being a 'badass' as you would put it." She made quotation marks with her fingers on the word 'badass.' "I have no idea what I'm doing."

"So I've noticed," he mumbled under his breath as he studied the man, from the corner of his eye he saw her glaring at him. "Sorry," he said, "You weren't supposed to hear that."

"You are an ass Shawn!" she said, "Why did I call you!"

"You did the right thing baby," he said walking up to her, "I'm sorry." He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Something they both wanted to do the moment he walked into the room. He released his hold on her and surveyed the room, "Bring me that chair," he said pointing to the corner as he went to assess the situation she got them into.

Mimi did as she was told as Shawn patted down his pocket for weapons or any identify information, he found his wallet and motel key. When she had set it down, Shawn picked up the man placed him in it. He tied his hands to the chair by his wrists and then also his legs. Shawn then tied the rope around his mid section, securing him completely to the chair. "I think it's for the best you leave here now baby," Shawn said never taking his eyes off the man.

"No," she said stubbornly, "this is my mess. I should be the one…"

"You're not going to want to be around here when I'm talking with him," he said, "trust me on this baby. You're heart won't be able to handle it."

"You don't even know what you're looking for," Mimi said.

"You told me you only have half the photos and no negatives," Shawn said, "plus a partner somewhere waiting or a return or call. Let me do my job. I know you don't trust me with the secret, but I can get the information from him. You don't have to tell me a thing, I won't know the secret."

"You shouldn't have to do this," Mimi said, "you're not involved…"

"I am involved," Shawn said pulling her into a hug. He was trying really hard not to lose his temper with her again, but she was making it damn near impossible. "This right here is me being involved in something I have no idea what is about! And I don't care, I'm doing this for you baby. You have to trust me when I say you're not going to like my negotiating techniques."

"I have to be here," Mimi said.

Shawn let out a frustrated growl, he took a deep breath. He opened his mouth to speak, but she had cut him off.

"Family loyalty Shawn," she said, "I have to be here. I'm responsible for this mess."

"Fine," he said, "you can stay, but I do not want to hear a peep from you. This will most likely become very violate very fast. Do not let him know you are scared or shocked at my actions."

"Okay."

"And above all," he said with pleading eyes, "do not hate me for this."

She looked at him confused, "I don't understand," she said, "why would I hate you?"

"Just don't hate me," he said.

"I won't," she said, "I'm indebted forever."

Shawn didn't say anything; he just kissed her forehead and smiled at her. He turned to face the unconscious man and his face become stone cold, void of any type of emotion. He heard a little gasp from Mimi when his facial expression changed. "If you going to do that you have to leave." The icy cold tone he used could have dropped the temperature of the room by thirty degrees.

"As quite as a mouse," she said. She didn't mean to gasp, she just never seen him look like that before. He was so cold and sadistic. It wasn't her Shawn. She tried to cover her mouth before it escaped but it was too late.

Shawn went over to the man and hit him in the face, "Rise and shine little bitch," he said coldly, "Someone's been a very bad boy." He hit him again when he saw the man stir a little. Shawn let out a sadistic laugh at the man's attempts to free himself from the constraints. "I wouldn't bother if I were you," Shawn said getting into his face, "I was a boy scout once upon a time. You'll never get out of those."

"What do you want!" the man demanded.

"You know what I want," Shawn said in a condescending tone, "You have my pictures, my negatives, and now my money." He watched as the man process his words, when the light bulb went off that Shawn said money, Shawn smirked, "That's right I said money. For being a bad little boy I'm taking away the reward of money and replacing it with something else."

"What?" he said.

"How about your life?" Shawn asked him, "You see that is my girl over there. Take a good look at my girl. You see the bruise already forming on her face where you hit her. That pisses me off beyond words." Shawn punched the man, breaking his nose, "I feel a little better now. You hit my girl and you tried to rip her off. Now you're going to tell me where to find my photos or I'm going to rip you apart limb to limb."

"When I don't get back my partner is going to leak it to the press," the man said, trying to gain some control of this situation.

"You really want to play it that way?" Shawn asked as he picked up the lead pipe, "Because it will be more fun for me and more pain for you." Shawn swung the pipe hard against his abdomen, "Now where's the photos and the negatives. Where is your partner? Tell me and you can walk out of here."

"How can I trust you?" he demanded.

"Well since you lied to my baby and I've only been honest with you," he said, "I think my word is the one that we'll believe."

"She didn't give me all my money," the man spat out, he was sucker punched by Shawn.

"You only gave her half the goods," Shawn said, "Therefore you get half of the money. You really shouldn't play with me, but I don't fucking play well," he lifted it over his head and sent in straight into the man's foot. Shawn only laughed when the man screamed in agony.

Mimi stood there shell shocked. She couldn't believe this man before her was Shawn-Douglas Brady. Her Shawn was a kind and gentle man. This Shawn was a cold hearted sadistic bastard who _really _enjoyed torturing this man. She understood it why he did it. But it didn't stop her from being afraid of him. Now she understood why Shawn asked her to leave. He didn't want her to know about this side of his life. She felt sorry for him and her brother, to have to do this out of loyalty to the family. But Shawn wasn't doing this for his family; he was doing this for her. And as sick as it was, she felt happy and touched that he would do this for her. She thought she heard him say "come here baby" but she wasn't sure. She looked up and saw his hand stretched out waiting for her to take it. He looked at her with his cold eyes and an expression that said, _"Get your ass over here now!"_

"Tell me what I want to know!" Shawn said bringing the lead pipe down onto the man's foot again.

"NO!" the man screamed in pain again as he felt the pipe hit his foot again. He keeled over in pain when the pipe hit his stomach.

"Tell me what I want to know and your suffering will be over," he said.

"Go to hell," the man said at he tried to spit on Shawn but it fell short.

Shawn punched him in the nose for trying to spit on him. He refrained from spitting on him since this man wasn't going to be leaving his building alive and Shawn didn't want his DNA on him _if_ the police found his body. "Now you will tell me what I want to know or I'll show you how good I was at tee ball when I was a kid," he threatened and he got into the stance and held the bat with a tight grip.

"I'll only tell her," the man said looking at Mimi's horrified face, "but by the looks of his your bitch is afraid of you."

Shawn hit the man hard in the knee cap, "You will not disrespect my girl you worthless piece of shit!" Shawn slapped him in the face before stretching his arm behind him with his hand open, "Come here baby," he said. His eyes never leaving the man bonded to the chair. When he heard the man laugh he kicked him in the groin before turning his head to Mimi. His eyes landed on hers and then gestured to his hand.

Mimi took a deep breath and walked over to Shawn. Her face masked the fear she felt in the inside as she grabbed Shawn's hand and he pulled her into his body. She looked into his eyes before pulling him into a passionate kiss, both of them tried to ignore the sparks that shot through their bodies, "What do you need me for?"

"This scumbag has finally decided to crack," he said, "but he will only tell you. Apparently I'm not fun to play with." His tone was mocking his eyes danced with amusement but his facial expression was still cold and sadistic.

"I don't know what his problem is," Mimi purred as she played along with whatever game Shawn was playing, "I love to play with you." To add to the effect, she kissed him again as her hand started to travel south, they both felt the sparks rush through them.

"Kill me now," the man said disgusted at the sight in front of him.

Shawn lifted the piped and hit him hard in the stomach again, never breaking the kiss he shared with Mimi. He turned to the man, "I'd watch your mouth because I might just grant you that wish. Now tell her what she wants to know."

"The information is at the Roadside Motel, room 125," the man said, "The rest of the photos and the negatives are in the nightstand."

"And your partner?" Shawn asked.

"I don't have a partner," the man said, "I'm working alone. I refused to share my money for work I did."

"That the truth," Shawn said.

"You don't believe me?" the man said pretending to be offended, "Why would I lie to your bitch? Of course if she ever wants to know what its like to be in bed with a real man, just come looking for me. I will show you a real good time."

"I think it would be hard for you to fuck without your tiny dick?" Shawn asked.

"What are you talking about?" the man said, "I have a big…" he never finished his sentence because Shawn had pulled out his gun and shot him in the groin. The man tried to bend over in pain but couldn't because of his restraints.

"What the hell Shawn!" Mimi said, "Why did you do that?"

Shawn ignored Mimi and grabbed the man's hair. He was beyond pissed off when his mind thought of why the photos and negatives were in the motel room. Shawn figured this man was going to allure her to the motel room with the promise of the other half of the goods. Then he was going to rape her. What pushed him over the boiling point was when he offered to have sex with her. He didn't know what happened, he just lost it. That scared him, because he never looses it. After knowing this woman for two months he has already punched his brother, lied to his father, and shot a man's dick off because he implied he was going to have sex with her. _"What the hell is wrong with me?"_ he thought to himself.

"Why did you do that Shawn?" Mimi whispered.

"Think about baby," Shawn said, "He wanted you to come alone. He was going to take you to that room for the other half of the photos. What do you think he was going to do to you in that motel room?" He watched her eyes as she slowly processed the information. He knew she figured it out when her eyes widened with fear.

"He was going to….he was going to…" she couldn't even finish the sentence.

Shawn pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her forehead. Shawn could still here the man crying in pain. "Come on baby," Shawn said, "lets go see if he's lying or not."

"We're going to just leave him like that?" Mimi asked.

"I need him alive incase he's not telling me the truth," Shawn said as he crouched down next to the man, "I'm going to take a little trip to see if you're telling me the truth" his voice dropped a few octatives lower, "And God help you if you're lying to me," the threatening tone sent shivers down the man's back as well as Mimi's. Shawn punched him hard in the face, knocking him out cold. "Let's go baby," he said grabbing her and pulling her away from the man. Shawn walked them to her car. He looked at the other man's car and saw the keys still in it. "You follow me to the motel."

"You're not coming with me?" she asked.

"I'm going to take his car," Shawn said, "It can't be here." Shawn put on his gloves and skull cap before touching the car. She followed him to the car and parked away from him. He walked to her, "Do you have any gloves?" he asked.

Mimi nodded and put on a pair of gloves and followed Shawn to the room. She noticed that he looked around before going to the door and quickly opened it. They went inside quickly and started looking for it. Shawn found it within seconds but still tore apart the room incase he had others hidden elsewhere. When Shawn was satisfied that he checked out every surface they had left the room and when back to the man held captive. Mimi pulled up to the warehouse and was about to open the door but his hand on her arm stopped her.

"I'll meet you back at your place," he told her.

"But the man…"

"Don't worry about him," Shawn said, "I'll dispose of the body."

"But he's not dead…"

"Oh he is," Shawn said casually, "he just doesn't know it yet."

"Shawn you can't…"

"You're hands need to stay clean of this," Shawn said, "You didn't do anything. You don't know anything. This cannot be traced back to you."

"Shawn…" She said in a pleading voice.

"If we let him go he's going to continue to come after you," Shawn said, "this is the world I live in, your brother lives in. The only thing that Patrick and I will ever agree on is hiding this world from our younger siblings. This isn't your world baby."

"It isn't yours either," Mimi said bringing her hand to his cheek and caressing it.

He saw the tears forming in her eyes, "Don't cry baby," he said, "I hate it when you cry." He brought his hands to her face and wiped away the tears.

"I don't mean to," She said, "I just wish this didn't have to happen. Why didn't I handle this better?"

"It's being handled," Shawn said, "trust me. Your secret it safe and you never had to tell a soul so you didn't break your promise."

"Please let me come with you," she begged.

"No baby," Shawn said, "some things in life you shouldn't have to see. This is one of them. I won't let you. Trust me."

"I do trust you," she said as the tears fell from her eyes again.

He ran his fingers down her cheek and gently touched her bruise "Does that hurt?" he asked his voice full of concern.

"A little," she said. She held her breath as he lean in and gently kissed her bruise. The tears started to fall from her eyes again. He was scarified so much for her tonight.

He wiped her tears again and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips, "I'll see you at your house in three maybe four hours."

Mimi watched him get out of the car and walk into the warehouse. A few seconds later she heard the man screaming in agony. She let out a little scream. Shawn wasn't just going to kill him, he was going to torture him and make an example of him to anyone else who dared cross Miriam Lockhart. She covered her mouth and cried some more. She put the car in drive and obeyed Shawn's demand. The whole time she felt guilty inside. Shawn was cleaning up her mess for a secret she carried for her mother and he doesn't even know what that secret was. When she got home she felt dirty. She took a shower and changed into a pair of comfortable pajamas. While she waited for Shawn to come to her window her mind races through the events of that evening. Shawn had terrified her. She never wanted to see that side of him again. She cried for her brother and for him, for a lifestyle that they didn't seem to want. A smile crept on her lips at the memory of stolen kisses and Shawn calling her "my girl." She knew it was an act, but she couldn't deny the sparks she felt. Then she felt guilty for not letting him into this secret. He killed, no tortured a man ruthlessly to protect a secret that he knew nothing about; "Should I tell him?" she asked herself, "Does he have a right to know?"

Shawn walked into the warehouse and raised his gun at the man who had yet to bleed to death. With one shot that man was dead and Mimi's secret would be forever safe. But he could not do it. This man might have friends and he needed to set an example for anyone stupid enough to go after her. He needed to keep her safe. A bullet to the head was too nice of a punishment. He picked up the pipe and swung it hard into his gut, "Wakey wakey, little bitch," He said in a sadistic tone.

"You got what you wanted," the man pleaded, "Let me go."

"What I want is for you to bleed," Shawn said walking over to an abandoned tool set and grabbing a pair of gardening shears, "then I'm going to send you're parts to all your favorite haunts." He brought the shears to the man's pinky and cut it off. The man's cries of agony filled the room until he pasted out from the pain. Shawn threw the parts on the plastic that laid on the floor along with the rest of his parts. He wanted to call for reinforcements but would not be able to explain this to his father. He wiped the pipe free of fingerprints and threw it on the remains of the man. He wrapped the man in plastic and threw the bag over his shoulder. He grabbed the shovel and he walked a half mile down the road. He threw the bag on the ground and started digging. After forty-five minutes he had a hole deep enough to bury the body. He threw in the plastic bag and started throwing dirt over the remains. Within an hour he was back and his truck. He grabbed the cans of gas and walked back into the warehouse. There was just too much of a blood trail to leave it standing. He began pouring the gas heavily in areas were the blood was as well as the rest of the abandoned room. He put the cans back into his truck and grabbed some paper as he walked back into the building. He reached into his pocket for his lighter and started the paper on fire. He threw in on the ground by the biggest blood spill and walked out of the warehouse to his truck. The warehouse set fire quickly and Shawn far gone before the fire trucks were even called. The drive back all he could think about was the kisses he shared with Mimi and how alive he had felt. He couldn't help but to wonder, "Am I falling in love with my baby?"


	11. Betray Her

**Chapter 10 Betray Her**

Shawn hid his motorcycle in the woods near the Lockhart mansion. He climbed up the wall and looked around for any prying eyes before jumping to the ground. He quickly made his way to the tree unnoticed. He climbed up the tree and was over the balcony within minutes. When his feet touched the balcony floor, his heart broke at the sight of Mimi lying on her bed in tears. He walked through the door she had left open for him and climbed onto the bed. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the side of her head. He felt her move out of his arms and move back a little as she turned to face him. He tried to pretend that it didn't hurt him but it did, "What's the matter baby?" he asked as his thumb gently stroked her cheek. He physically flinched when she moved back even further out of his reach and buried her face in her pillow.

"I'm so sorry," she cried into her pillow, "This wasn't suppose to happen."

"Did you get another note?" he asked, trying to keep the panic from his voice. That man did have a partner and he did a half ass job for Mimi and now she would be in even more trouble.

"No," she said.

He let go of the breath he didn't know he was holding, "Then what are you sorry for."

"You killed that man," she said, crying even harder.

"He's not the first man I've killed," Shawn said.

"You shouldn't have done that for me," she said, "I've made you a killer."

"I was already a killer baby," he said. He didn't know what to do. She saw a side of him tonight that he never wanted her to know existed. And now she would not let him touch her without her body tensing up and moving future away. The separation between them felt the size of the Pacific Ocean. "What happened tonight happened because some man threatened your existence."

"He threatened a secret Shawn," she said, "not my life."

"He threatened to destroy your life," he said.

"No."

"Baby look at me," he said, when she refused to meet his gaze, he put more force in his voice, "I need you to look me in the eye baby." When her green tearful eyes finally met his chocolate brown, his heart broke again. He saw fear in her eyes and he couldn't stop himself from wondering if that fear was from him. "You did not make me into a killer," he said, "My father did. Nothing that happened tonight was your fault. If I had to do it all over again I would do it exactly the same."

"Why?" she asked. She didn't understand why someone who was suppose to be her enemy, someone she was suppose to hate would risk what he did tonight, for her.

"Because you're my Mimi," he said, bringing his hand to her face. He tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. He tried to pretend it didn't hurt when she shivered from his touch…she was afraid of him, "You're my baby. No one hurts my baby and gets away with it. I'm sorry that I'm scaring you."

"I'm not scared of you."

"That's a load of crap and you know it," he said, "you won't let me touch you. And when I do touch you, you quiver in fear and move further away from my reach. I see it in your eyes. I knew you shouldn't have been there. You hate me now. You saw the side of me that I never wanted you to see and now you hate me. You see me as a monster. A monster that my father created, a monster I allowed him to create. You'll never look at me the same." He couldn't be here anymore with her. It killed him to be this close to her and know she was terrified of his touch. He didn't even try to pretend it didn't hurt. He knew it was breaking his heart.

"That's not true."

"It is true," he said getting off of the bed, "I'm sorry, but it hurts too much to be this close to you. I just want to hold you in my arms and never let you go, but you won't let me. I have go. I'm sorry, it just hurts." He started walking towards the balcony door when he felt a hand on his arm.

"Please don't leave me."

He turned around and saw the tears falling from her eyes. All he wanted to do was to hold her in his arms and make the pain go away. It was that moment he knew that he was falling in love with this woman. And he did not care about the feud or family loyalty, all he cared about was her. He opened his arms for her to walk into. He would met her half way, if she wanted him, his comfort, then she would have to make a move.

She smiled at his gesture and walked immediately in his embrace. She wrapped her arms around his torso and held on tight, "I'm not afraid of you," she said, "I'm afraid of what you make me feel. When you call me baby, my heart skips a beat. And when you kissed me tonight, I'm sure my heart stopped beating. I felt the electric shocks and the sparks. My skin feels on fire after one simple touch. What scares me the most about that is that I do not regret it and I want it to happen again and I…"

Her sentence was cut off by him kissing her with all the passion, lust, love, whatever it was called that was flowing through his veins. He kissed her like he was a dying man and she was the only source of life. He pulled her even closer to him. He held her so close you weren't sure where she ended and he began. When they pulled apart they were both gasping to catch their breath, "I know what you're talking about baby," he said tucking what has quickly become his favorite strand of hair behind her ear again, "I feel it too and it terrifies me. I wasn't suppose to feel this way about you." He replied in all honesty. He wasn't suppose to want her the way he did. He was suppose to want her hurt her and nothing else. Now, he wasn't sure what he was suppose to be doing anymore. His head and heart were in conflict. His loyalties were divided and all he knew is he never wanted to be the cause of her tears again.

"I know what you mean," she said, "I wasn't suppose to feel this way either. You were suppose to be my friend…but somehow…"

"Somehow," he said, "we ended up being so much more. It's like we're…"

"Home," she finished for him.

"Yeah," he said before kissing her again.

He picked her up and continued to kiss her. He carried her to the bed and laid her down. He continued to kiss her and he laid down with her. Their hands roamed freely around their bodies. They were exploring each other's bodies and their skin felt on fire after it was touched. When Mimi felt his hands go under her shirt he pushed him away.

"We can't do that," she said, trying to catch her breath.

"I'm sorry," he said, trying to catch his breath as well, "I got carried away."

"He really messed me up," she said.

"I understand," Shawn said rolling onto his back. He tried to not let it show how angry he was, would he ever get out from under that man's ghost. When will Ross no longer have a hold of her?

"This isn't about him," she said.

"Sure it is," he said sarcastically, "But you do know that I'm not him."

"I know," she said, "but after that happened, I promised myself that I wouldn't go there with another man until I was sure. I want my heart and hormones to be on the same wavelength."

"I understand Mimi," Shawn said, giving her a light kiss on the nose, "more than you know."

"I want to be in love and be loved back," she rambled on.

Shawn just laughed and put his fingers over her mouth to stop her from talking, "I told you that I understand," he said giving her a playful smirk, "I wouldn't want it to be any other way. Our first time will be special with candles and music. Not a lustful lets tear each other's clothes off so we can get very naked very fast and just do it."

She laughed at him, "Just do it huh?" she said, "You make it sound so romantic."

"Just call me Casanova baby," he said bringing her hand to his mouth and giving it a kiss.

"I wouldn't go that far," she said with a small smile.

"You wound me baby," he said, giving her kiss, "I should get going. You are too much of a temptation just laying there looking all beautiful." He gave her one more kiss before moving to the door.

"Wait," she said, "I have to tell you something."

"Missing me already baby?" he said playfully, "I haven't even left yet. I can only imagine the heart ache when I finally do climb down that tree."

"I'm trying to be serious here," she said motioning him to come sit by her.

"What is it?" he asked. He had no idea what was going on inside of that head of hers and that scared him. He was usually good at reading her and now nothing. He watched her go to the nightstand and pull out a red envelope that looked very familiar.

"Here," she said giving it to him.

"Are these the photos?" he said in disbelief.

"Yeah."

"Are you crazy!" he said jumping off of the bed and going to her metal trash can. He dumped out the contents and walked outside on the balcony. He threw the photos in the empty trash bin and held onto the envelope, "You're not suppose to keep the blackmail as a souvenir," he scolding her like a small child, "You have to destroy it." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his lighter. He had lit the paper and was about to throw it into the trash can when Mimi knocked it out of his hands and onto the floor. "What are you doing?" he asked quickly going to the paper and stomping it out with his foot, "You're not suppose to keep this stuff. Someone could find it and if that happens tonight was for nothing." He stopped to think what he was doing. He couldn't understand what was wrong with him. He was about to destroy the evidence that could destroy her family and he didn't even look at it. He wasn't even tempted to look at it. _"What the hell is wrong with me? Am I really that head over heals gone for her?"_

"Not yet," she said, "I wanted to tell you why you risked your life tonight."

"I already know the answer," he said as his face softened and he reached out his hand to tuck her strand of hair behind her ear again. He looked into her eyes and whispered, "I risked it for you. I thought we already established that I would do it again for you in a heartbeat." He reached down to grab a photo to start the fire and held his lighter in his other hand.

"I want to tell you the secret you helped me protect," she said as she grabbed the lighter from his hand..

Shawn was completely thrown off by this; he wasn't expecting her to say those words. "What?" he asked, his voice was full of confusion.

"I couldn't burn it until I told you," she said, "it's so unbelievable that you won't believe me unless I show you the proof."

"You don't have to," he said, "your secret is safe now. No one has to know."

"I have to tell someone," she begged, "It's eating me alive. I've carried it for six years and it's slowly eating me inside. I need to tell someone before it destroys me."

"It's okay," he said pulling her into his embrace, "I'm here for you. You and me against the world."

"You don't understand Shawn," she said, "My mother held many secrets and the ones I carry can destroy so much. And the secret I was being blackmailed would cause….it…Shawn it's horrible. I know things that will destroy my family and put my family in jail. But this secret would not only destroy my family but…but…"

"But what? Who else does this effect?"

"You," she said, "If this got out, not only would it destroy my family but yours as well. We would go to war with each other."

"We're already at war," Shawn pointed out to her.

"Not like it could be," Mimi said, "My father would seek vengeance as well as your father and uncle. This secret could destroy everyone and everything."

Shawn saw more tears falling from her eyes, he wiped them away and gave her another kiss, "You don't have to tell me," he said.

"I want to," she said, "Can I trust you with this?"

Shawn gulped, he wasn't sure. _"Can she really trust me with the one piece of information that could cause so much destruction? What does my family have to do with it? Can I be trusted?"_ Shawn looked at her and realized he was thinking too long; this wasn't what his father sent him to find out, but another secret to protect his family. But she had more secrets and this could be the first step to finding out what could destroy the Lockhart's forever. "You can trust me with anything," he said in a confident voice he wasn't sure was in own.

"Just so you know," she said, "this isn't my secret. It's my mother's secret. She confided in me the day she died in that plane crash." She gestured for him to look at the photo in his hand and to grab the ones she was offering to him.

"Why was she on that plane?" Shawn asked, "I never understood her reasoning."

"This is the answer to those questions and they will bring more questions," she said gesturing again to the photos in her hand, "Be 100 sure that you want to know before looking at it."

Shawn took a deep breath; this was his mission he could not turn away from it. He looked at her and knew that it was destroying her to carry this burden, if he knew he could help her with the load. He turned the picture over in his hand and his eyes immediately widen. He grabbed the rest of the photos and flipped through them. He looked at her to see if this was somehow a sick joke. She shook her head no and her eyes filled with tears. He grabbed the lighter from her and set the photos on fire. "No one will ever know," he said, throwing them in the empty trash can, "this I promise you." He threw the negatives into the fire and the blackmailer's note before he wrapped his arms around her pulled her close to him. He kissed the top of her head as they watched the flames burn the secret that would destroy lives. "I need to know the story behind this," he said.

"I understand," she said. She looked into his eyes and told him the story. The story of her mother's secret.

When it was over Shawn understood fully why Mimi was so terrified when that man had blackmailed her. Bonnie Lockhart could never be called a smart woman; but what she did was so careless and reckless it could damage more lives. Shawn just hoped it was worth it to Bonnie, to bring this pain to her daughter and her family. He shook his head in disbelief. There was no way that could have been worth it. It seemed that not even the Lockhart women could be considered innocent. But it wasn't completely her fault; she wasn't alone in this mess. But still, she left the mess for her own daughter to clean up. He looked down at the fragile woman crying in his arms. Shawn never hated someone more than he hated Bonnie Lockhart at that moment of time.

Mimi glanced at the clock and noticed how late it was, "You need to leave," she said, "Patrick will be here any minute."

"Okay," he said, "You have no reason to be afraid anymore. The problem is taken care of and I'm here for you."

"I know," she said. She looked into his eyes and knew at that moment she was in love with Shawn-Douglas Brady. As much as she tried to fight the attraction, she lost. She was head over heals in love. All she could do now was hope he could feel the same way for her.

"Good night baby," he said, cupping her face in his hands he gave her a sweet kiss on the lips.

"Good night Shawn," she said. She watched him climb down. She grabbed trash bin and began to pick up the mess Shawn made.

Twenty minutes later Shawn was walking through his front door. He was greet by his father and couldn't help but to feel guilty. He knew something that could be used against the Lockhart's and he wasn't sure what to do with this information. This information was for above and beyond what he hoped to get. It would destroy all their lives. He shook his head trying to rid himself of these thoughts. He could feel the headache starting to come.

"We need to talk Shawn," Bo said.

"About what?" Shawn asked, even though he knew the answer.

"About Miriam Lockhart," Bo said, "It's been over two months you have to have something to report to your old man."

Shawn was conflicted; his heart was torn between two loyalties. He wasn't sure which one deserved his honesty more. His family or his Mimi. He sighed and rubbed his forehead trying to make the headache that was forming to go away.

"You know something," Bo said, "I can see it written all over your face. What do you know?"

"Yeah Dad," Shawn said, "I know something. Something we've been waiting for has finally happened." He used both hands now to try and rub away the headache. He couldn't believe he was going to do this. He was about to betray the trust of someone he loved dearly.

"What did you find out?" Bo asked.


	12. Deny Her

**Chapter 11- Deny Her **

Shawn stood in front of his father numb from head to toe, the only thought running through his mind was the promise he made to Mimi _"No one will ever know, this I promise you."_ And here he was standing in front of his father, waiting to break the trust she placed in him. Waiting to break one loyalty for another and it was killing him.

"Tell me now," Bo said impatiently.

Shawn thought back to tonight and how she openly told him the ammunition that would destroy her family. Mimi underestimated the repercussions to his family. There would be damage, but nothing that the Brady family could not recover from. His family would retaliate, but maybe that is what she would be worried about. He was torn between two loyalties and he wished he didn't have to choose, didn't have to betray that trust…either of those trusts.

"_I need to know the story behind this," Shawn said gesturing to the open fire._

"_I understand," she said sitting down. She patted the spot next to her and waited for him to sit next to her, "It all begins about two years before the plane crash."_

_Shawn nodded in encouragement for her to continue._

"_My mother did the worst thing imaginable," Mimi said, she felt cold all of a sudden and started to rub her arms, "something she wasn't suppose to do."_

"_What did she do?" Shawn asked as he took off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders. He rubbed her arms with his hands in hopes to warm her up._

"_She hated her life," Mimi said._

"_So she makes some changes…"_

"_I know you're not that stupid Shawn," Mimi said, "she's a mobster's wife. You don't make changes or walk away. Once you're in the family, you're in it for life. You of all people should understand that."_

"_I know," Shawn said in a defeated tone, "I know that all too well."_

"_She was offered an out and she took it," Mimi said._

_Shawn looked at her confused. He never in a million years thought Mimi would say that. As much as he hated the Lockhart family they had one similarity with his family and that was loyalty. Now Mimi told him she wanted out of the life she chose, "I don't understand."_

"_My mother married my father because she was pregnant with Patrick," Mimi said, "She said that she didn't really have a choice in the matter because Daddy refused to have his child grow up a bastard. They got married. I'm not sure if she loved my father, all I know is that she didn't want this lifestyle for her or her child." She gestured to her surroundings. Mimi could relate to her mother in many ways. Most days she felt more like a prisoner than the mob princess; but all days she felt completely helpless. The evidence laid burning a few feet in front of her. She couldn't even do that right…if it was not for Shawn, she would have died tonight. She shuddered again at the thought and felt Shawn's hands move again to warm her. She smiled at the gesture, but knew it was not the cold that was making her skin crawl._

"_But that's the lifestyle she got," Shawn said. He understands that all too well, that's why he didn't marry Belle. John wasn't apart of his 'family' but still worked closely with them to take down the Lockhart's. He loved Belle too much at the time to drag her into this lifestyle. She eventually fell in love with Philip and got married. He's happy for her because he knew deep in his heart that he didn't truly love her and she did not love him either. She would have never understood his life, unlike Mimi who understood completely. True Philip was Uncle Phil and his father also a notorious mobster. But there was something different about the Kirakis women; it was like Victor protected them from this world and they never felt the repercussions…or maybe it was what he told himself when he gave up fighting for Belle and let Philip have her._

"_Fast forward one fabulous Mimi later and she's getting more miserable," Mimi said, "then enters John Black."_

_Shawn's interests peek here, "What does John Black have to do with anything? He's loyal to my family, not yours."_

"_I think he just used her for his own gains," Mimi said._

"_What do you mean?" Shawn asked._

"_But then she told me how she found him and I didn't think that anymore."_

"_What do you mean by 'found him'?" Shawn asked, remembering that time when John was missing for a month without a trace. It was like he fell off the face of the planet._

"_My father was making a perfect solider in his war against the Brady's," Mimi said, "By using someone that they completely trusted with everything."_

"_John," Shawn said, "when he disappeared…"_

"_My father kidnapped him."_

"_But John never said anything," Shawn said, trying to put the pieces together, "he said he needed time to himself. My father and grandfather trusted him and left it alone."_

"_My father experimented on him and brainwashed him," Mimi said, "to turn him into the perfect asset to destroy your family."_

"_Did it work?"_

"_Yes and no," Mimi said._

"_Explain now," Shawn said getting tired of the vague answers and wondered how much he divulged to Lockhart._

"_It worked in a way of wiping out his memory of what happened," Mimi said, "John Black had turned against your family, but something happened that changed his programming."_

"_What?"_

"_My mother," Mimi said, "She found him six months into his mission to dig up dirt on your family. She ruined my father's work and John never again was under my father's influence."_

"_This is unreal," he said, "This is something out of Star Wars or something. You don't brainwash people and turn them into machines!" Shawn started pacing, "You father could go to prison for this. It's inhumane!"_

"_He's a Godfather Shawn," Mimi said facetiously, "Everything he does is inhumane, it's in the job description."_

"_Don't you fucking be flip with me!" Shawn reprimand, Mimi looked down in shame but excepted his anger, this was not the time to be joking. "You just told me that my father's trusted right hand was a snitch! That for months he was trading my family's secrets!"_

"_It didn't end there Shawn."_

"_What do you mean?" he asked._

"_They did something they were never suppose to do."_

"_What?"_

"_They fell in love Shawn," Mimi said._

"_John Black would never love a Lockhart!" Shawn said, "He wouldn't betray the family like that."_

"_You can't control your own heart Shawn!" she said, "You're heart wants what your heart wants. You of all people should know that!"_

_Shawn physically winced when she said that. She just explained the conflicts of his heart. This is not the direction he wanted this conversation to go. He didn't want to talk about his conflicting heart._

"_John gave her what her heart desired most in this world."_

"_What was that?"_

"_He gave her the out she wanted," Mimi said, "He convinced her to turn in her own family. That's why my mother was on that plane. They were on their way to Washington where she was going to give a full statement of my father's criminal activities."_

"_You do realize that this would give the police motivate didn't have before on your father?" Shawn asked._

"_I know," Mimi said, "but what hurts the most is how quickly she just gave me up for him. I hate him so much for that."_

"_You're father killed them didn't he?" His eyes narrowed as he threw out the accusation._

"_I don't know," Mimi said, "I was there when he got the call about Mom. I never saw my father cry before, he couldn't have done that."_

"_But if he knew what she was about to do."_

_  
"Please Shawn," Mimi said, "My father is many things but he does not kill his own."_

"_If you say so," Shawn said._

"_I do." She said with confidence she wasn't sure she should have. She heard about what happens when you cross David Lockhart. But his own wife? She could understand John Black, but not Marlena and her mother. His obsession and his wife. He would hold them prisoner, not take their lives. _

_Shawn could see the conflicting emotions on her face. He never hated anyone more in his life than he did in that moment of time. Bonnie Lockhart was a selfish woman and now her daughter was paying for her indiscretions._

"_I think John Black played my mother's emotions," Mimi said, "he used her fears and insecurities against her for his gain. The puppet turned on the puppet master. My mother was just too blinded by love to know she was being made a fool."_

_Shawn gulped at those words, they hit too close to home for him._

"_And for that I hate him," she said, "I'm glad he's dead. Now he can't hurt my family anymore."_

"_That doesn't explain some of those photos," Shawn said, "He was kissing her in some."_

"_He made my mother believe that he wanted her," Mimi said, "that if she turned my father in then they could have a life together."_

"_How do you know it was a ploy?"_

"_Marlena."_

"_Explain," he said._

"_You know how people said she wasn't suppose to be on that plane," Mimi said, "I guess they got their signals mixed because Marlena was going to meet John in Washington unaware they were on the plane also. She got on it right before take off. My mother called me from the plane brokenhearted. He made my mother cry."_

"_So she found out," Shawn said, "that they were using her to take down your family."_

"_Yeah," Mimi said, "and she was still willing to go to Washington to turn in my family because she believed that John really did want her. Apparently Marlena and John were arguing about his feelings for my mother…but I don't believe it. John was using my mother and my mother wanted out of this family so badly she would cause the downfall of my family."_

"_I don't see what this would destroy my family."_

"_My father would seek vengeance for this," Mimi said, "John was your father's right hand man and he would not rest until every Brady and Black was dead."_

_Shawn sighed when she realized she was right, this secret would cause World War III to break out within their families. Shawn couldn't help but to wonder if John's feelings for Bonnie were true and that fight wasn't staged like Mimi wanted to believe._

"_Who blew up the plane?" Shawn asked._

"_I don't know," Mimi said, "but whoever did it is still out there. I don't know how my mother was going to report this. Did she have evidence or just making a statement? Shawn if she has evidence out there, then someone has it."_

"_We'll find them," Shawn said, "we burned the evidence we had already. The photos of her and John as well as the information that could link David to those robberies a few years back and the assassination of the mayor that when unsolved. I destroyed the directions of where the murder victims are buried. I burned the negatives; right now there is nothing out there that can link your father to anything."_

"_But what if there is more out there?" Mimi asked, "What if someone plans on blackmailing me like that creep did?"_

"_Then we'll take care of it together," Shawn said with conviction, "I will not let anyone hurt my baby and get away with it."_

"_She lied and I have to clean up the mess," Mimi said letting out all the frustration she was holding in, "It isn't fair that I have to protect her deceit."_

"_Life isn't suppose to be fair baby," he said, "It's just life."_

"_I know," she said, with fresh tears in her eyes, "I just wish she didn't do this to me. This secret will destroy my family and so many other lives. Why was she so selfish? Did she even think of anyone but herself?"_

"_I don't know baby," he said wiping the tears from her eyes, "I don't know." He pulled her into a tight embrace. He really hated Bonnie Lockhart. If she was alive today he would have killed her with his bare hands for causing the heartache his baby was going through right now. Never in his life did he want to kill someone more than he did her. And if John Black was dead, he would have personally cut him into pieces._

_Mimi glanced at the clock and noticed how late it was, "You need to leave," she said, "Patrick will be here any minute."_

The image of Mimi's tear stained face plagued his mind. He didn't know how he could do this to her. But he was a Brady. Brady men obeyed their parents and their orders.

"Answer me now boy," Bo said, "What do you have on Miriam Lockhart?"

"I have…." He tried to say, he couldn't believe he was doing this, but he was a solider in the battle in this feud and he had to follow orders, "I….I've made progress."

"I heard that part," Bo said, "What's going on? Do I need to pull…"

"NO!" Shawn said a little too eagerly. He silently cursed himself when he saw his dad raise an eyebrow suspiciously, "What I mean is if we pull out now I lose all the ground I've just made."

"So you have something."

"Yeah," Shawn said, "and it real good."

"What do you have?" Bo asked.

"I have her….I know that seems….it's just this…..I have her trust," Shawn finished lamely. _"So you chose her huh Brady? You must really love her."_

"Her trust?" Bo asked skeptically.

"Yeah," Shawn said, "she trusts me now. It's only a matter of time before she spills some of those family secrets that we can use." Shawn couldn't believe the lies that were rolling out of his mouth, he wondered if he was doing the right thing. "_Yeah I'm sitting on the mother of all ticking time bombs. I know where David buries his bodies ten years ago, his involvement in the assassination of the mayor that was in my family's pocket, and yet I remain loyal to the one who does not share my blood." _

"Well that's at least something," Bo said with a smile, as he tried to give his son some encouragement when he misread the look on Shawn's face as defeat, "Keep up the good work." He gave him a light slap on the upper arm before heading to the door. "I have to take care of some business," he said, "I'll be gone for a few days. Take care of everything here."

"I will Dad," Shawn said as he watched him leave, "Be careful," when the door closed, he sighed as he continued to rub the headache away, "Don't think I don't know what you're going to do. I know your dirty little secret Dad and you don't even know it."


	13. Love Her

**Chapter 12- Love Her**

Shawn laid on his bed in a complete daze. He could not believe this was happening to him. It was his plan to get close to Mimi and get the information needed to take down the Lockhart dynasty once and for all. He did it. He completed his own mission and task. This should be something that not only should bring him pride but his father. He did what was supposed to the impossible; he got inside the Lockhart defenses and could take them down. He had the information; it was on the tip of his tongue. But when push came to shove, he betrayed his father instead of Mimi's confidence. He still could not believe he had done that. "Where's your head Shawn?" he asked the emptiness of his room, "Where's your heart? Where is your loyalty?" He let out a huge sigh; he had chosen a Lockhart over his own family. He was a traitor and he could not understand why he had done it. "I can fix this easily," Shawn said, "I can just call Dad and tell him everything." He picked up the phone but could not will himself to dial the numbers. He threw the phone against the wall and let out a loud cry of frustration, "You really love her don't you!" he screamed at his reflection in the mirror, "Don't you, you sick little bastard!" He stepped backwards until he hit the wall and slide down. He buried his head in his hands, "You love her. You love her more than your own family. You sick little twisted bastard. You make me sick." Moments had passed when the only sound that could be heard was the rapid beating of his heart and his heavy breathing; but the thoughts were racing through his mind. The sound of his little brother's voice broke him from his inner turmoil.

"Shawn?"

Shawn snapped his head up and saw the bruised face of his brother. He almost felt guilty about punching him earlier, but when he remembered the reason why he did it, the fury was reborn in him, "Didn't I tell you to go and enjoy your childhood at my expense."

"You look like you need someone to listen," Zach said sitting on the bed.

"And I'm just suppose to spill my guts out to you?" Shawn snapped, "An arrogant, pompous, self-absorbed spoiled brat. You wouldn't understand anything I'm going through."

"You don't think I'd understand what you are going through?" Zach said, "Try me Shawn. I grew up in this family too." Zach didn't know how it happened but in a blink of an eye his brother went from sitting against the wall to the other side of his room to punching him in the jaw again, "What the hell Shawn!" he asked grabbing his injured face, "Why do you keep hitting me?"

"I've lost my patience with you," Shawn said, "so every time you act like an idiot, I'm going to punch you. I'll call it tough love."

"That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard."

"Think of it as an experiment to see if I can beat the fucking stupid right out of you and possibly beat some fucking knowledge into that pea size brain of yours!"

"I didn't say anything stupid," Zach protested, "I'm in this family too. I've lived the same life you did!" Zach ducked before Shawn's fist came in contact with his face. But he missed the second punch coming from the left. He fell back a little as this one had more force behind it than the pervious one.

"You know nothing of this life Zach," Shawn spat out, "And you can thank me for that. I've protected your ass from this lifestyle. When you graduate, Dad's going to let you go and make your mark somewhere in this world."

"Yeah right," Zach said sarcastically.

"Yeah right," Shawn said, his voice was dangerously low, "because I've let him mold me into his successor." His voice raised a few octaves as he said, "You have no idea the sacrifices I've made for you so you can live a freaking Corky Romano life while I live in this hell!"

"It's not that bad."

Shawn punched his brother again. Then he pushed him against the wall, grabbed his heck with one hand and pinned him against the wall with his body and other hand. Shawn got really close to his face and spoke in a dangerously low tone. "Do not speak of things you know nothing about," Shawn warned, "I'm not even 25 years old yet and I've killed more people than I can remember. Actually I chose not to remember anymore because by the time I was your lovely age of 16, I had already killed 25 people for the sake of this family, this dynasty, this feud. I've buried even more bodies than I have killed. I have killed husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, even their kids for the sake of this family. I have going to have to give up the love of my life because this family will kill her. My life is over, it's ruined. My father turned me into the monster that his father turned him into. If I ever, correction, _when_ I get married because we know I have to carry on the Brady legacy of hatred and this family. I will get to look forward to the day that I will slowly mold my son into the monster I am. And as I do that I will know I'm making him hate me as much as I hate Father for what he has done to me. And do you know where you'll be when I die probably before the age of 40, with a wife who detests me and I despise and at least one son who has an abhorrence to me! You know where you'll be! Anywhere on this God's green earth because of the sacrifices I have made for you, so you can actually _have _a life. So don't you dare lecture me on sacrifice! I wrote the freaking definition. Look up the word sacrifice in the dictionary and you'll see my picture." He pushed Zach onto his bed as he walked away from him.

"What do you mean you're going to have to give up the love of your life?" Zach asked as he got off the bed and walked toward Shawn, "You already gave up Belle right?"

Shawn wanted to scream _"I'm talking about Mimi you idiot! I'm not so pathetic to still carry a torch for someone I dumped nine years ago!"_ But he knew if he did he would have signed her death certificate. He might as well go over to her house and shot her himself, because then at least he would know that she died instantly and painlessly. He looked over at his dresser where Mimi's book laid hidden beneath his boxers. It brought a brief smile to his face before it turned cold again. "I meant gave up," Shawn said, "I'm over Belle. She's the past. She's happy with Philip and more importantly she's not apart of my life anymore." Shawn said. He couldn't believe of all the things he said, Zach only seemed to listen to the part about giving up Mimi for the sake of this family he was being to hate himself.

"If you don't want this life then you just walk away," Zach said, "nothing is keeping you here. It's not…." Zach never got to finish his sentence because Shawn had quickly turned around and punched him so hard his head hit the wall from the force.

Shawn had no idea why that made him so angry. Maybe he was the pent up anger from finding out what Bonnie Lockhart's actions nearly did to Mimi. Maybe it was what David Lockhart almost did to his family. Maybe it was what John Black could have cost his family by being under Lockhart's control. Maybe it was because Zach would never understand why he does what he does to protect him. Maybe it was a mixture of all of these above. He turned away from Zach and walked away from him as he said, "You'll never understand what I've done for you. The sacrifices I have made so you can have a relatively normal life."

"My life isn't normal," Zach said, as he followed after his brother, "it's just as hard as yours. I'm his son too you know!" Zach was frustrated with Shawn always accusing him of being ungrateful. He was also a mobster's son and it made him so angry that Shawn would never acknowledge that fact. Zach watched Shawn turned around and his face turn cold again. He walked towards him the way a lion stalks its prey. Zach walked backwards until he felt his back hit the wall. Shawn stopped inches from him and stared him down.

"Have you killed anyone?"

"What does that have to…"

"Answer the question," Shawn snapped.

"No."

"Tortured anyone?"

"No."

"Torched buildings with or without people inside screaming for their lives?"

"No."

"Buried any bodies?"

"No."

"Know the locations of all the bodies that have been buried by this family?"

"No."

"Do you carry a gun with you at all times?"

"No."

"Sleep with a gun under your pillow?"

"No."

"Have you even held a gun in your hands?"

"No."

"Given up the girl you were madly in love with for her own safety?"

"No."

"Given up dating and women in general because of the danger it is to be associated with you?"

"No."

"Given up friends so the same reason mentioned previously?"

"No."

"Never getting a good night's sleep because your body's on constant high alert you can never quite get to that REM cycle?"

"No."

"Walk anyone outside of this house and sometimes even in this house being alert to your surroundings?"

"No."

"You should you idiot," Shawn said, leaning in a little, "You're a kidnapping waiting to happen."

"Shawn…" Zach tried to say, but was cut off again. He was grateful that Shawn had at least taken a tiny step away from him.

"When you walk through the halls of your high school, do the kids point at you and whisper 'That's the mobster's son. I heard he killed 100 people before he turned five' as they look at you scared."

"No."

"Do people tremble in your presence?"

"No."

"Leave the room as soon as you enter."

"No."

"If they don't leave the room they stare at you repeatedly and look nervous the whole time your doing something as normal as eating or lets say breathing?"

"No."

"Sacrificed your future for your family and ungrateful brother?"

"No."

Shawn crossed his arms and gave a cold glare towards his brother, "I'm not seeing much we have in common here bro," Shawn said in a mocking voice, "I mean your life screams _**normal**_to me, but hell I'm just a bitter mobster who has an ingrate for a brother." He snapped at his brother

"Shawn…"

"I don't want to hear it," Shawn ordered, "You know nothing about this life and I hope you never do."

"Stop treating me like a child!" Zach screamed out his lifelong frustration to his brother. He hated that he still treated him like he was five years old. Too young and naive to know what was really going on.

"Then stop acting like one!" Shawn growled back, "You're like a five year old with a temper tantrum because you didn't get your own way. Well welcome to the world little bitch! This is life, real life when most of the time you don't get what you want."

"Shawn…"

"I'm done talking with you," Shawn said, "It's like talking to a wall…no, it's like talking to a _little boy_" he said just to annoy his little brother, and saw that he was successful when Zach's eyes narrowed at him, "who thinks he knows the world around him but doesn't really have a fucking clue." Shawn walked out of his room and slammed the door. He ran downstairs and slammed that door too. He hopped on this bike and drove to the one place, to the one person that would understand him. He knew it shouldn't because he was getting too attached to her. He was falling too fast and too hard in love with her. He knew that she would be the great love of his life as well as the great tragedy of his life. He knew that this love would be the cause of her death, of his death if he didn't stop this now. But he couldn't stop himself. Just like a moth is drawn to the flames, he was drawn to her. It was like she was the other part of him and with her he felt like he was at home, at peace in this chaotic world he lived in. Before he knew it he was walking through her balcony door and doing what he wanted to do since he left her earlier. Her back was towards him so he grabbed her by the waist, spun her around, and pulled her hard against his body. He leaned down and kissed her.

Mimi felt someone grab her, and her scream was silenced by a pair of warm lips caressing her own. She did not have to open her eyes to know it was Shawn. His previous kisses had left an imprint on her lips and her soul. She would know his kiss from anyone else's. His kisses had quickly become her addiction that she could not get enough of as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him even closer to her.

He broke away from her kiss when the need for oxygen became too great. He looked into her green eyes and bore his soul to her before he could even process the words pour out from his heart and to his mouth, "I love you Miriam Lockhart," he said as breathed heavily tried to regain his breath, as he looked into her startled eyes, "I love you, with all of my heart, all of my mind, and all of my soul." He chuckled a little, "I love you so much I'm sounding like one of those guys I would beat the shit out of for saying what I just said to you. But I don't care; I just simply adore you and love you." The response he got from her was one he never thought he would receive, especially after that mind blowing kiss. She slapped him, hard across the cheek and pushed him away. His hand immediately went to his redden cheek and he looked at her with wide eyes. "What the hell?" he asked; his voice and face could not mask his shock.


	14. Show Her

**Chapter 13- Show Her**

Shawn was staring into the angry eyes of Miriam Lockhart as his cheek stung from the slap she gave him. He waited for her response but when she gave him none he hissed, "Again I say what the hell woman? Are you insane?"

"Take it back," she said, her angry tone matched his.

"Take what back?" Shawn asked, "I didn't do anything wrong…" He was cut off when she slapped him again.

"What the fuck woman!" he said as he brought his hand to his stinging cheek, "And who the fuck taught you how to slap for fucking hard."

"Take it back!" she hissed.

Shawn finally caught on to her response and narrowed his eyes on her, "No," he said with force, "I love you."

"Take it back!" she demanded as she slammed her foot on the floor. Her eyes narrowed when she saw him standing there with a smirk on his face as he tried to not laugh. _"He's mocking me!"_

Shawn would have fun this tantrum she was displaying if he wasn't dodging her next slap. He grabbed her wrist, stopping her before she could make contact with his cheek. He slid his hand down and laced his fingers with her. She retraced her hand from him so quickly; it was like his hand has burned her. She watched him visibly flinch at her actions.

"No," he said, "I refuse to take back the words that I hold dearly to my heart. In fact I don't have a heart anymore because I gave it to you!"

"Take it back!" she screamed in frustration as Shawn quickly covered her mouth with his hand and slid his other hand around her waist pulling her closer to him. He released his hand around her waist as he put his finger on his mouth, gesturing her to control her outburst. She looked at him with wide eyes, realizing what she had just done. Her brain started counting the seconds until her brother would be at her door. She closed her eyes when she heard the pounding on her door.

"Mimi are you alright!" Patrick demanded through the door, "Why is this door locked?"

"I'm coming," She said to Patrick before lowering her voice, "Leave now."

"We are not done here," Shawn said forcefully, to prove his hands went back to her waist, pulling her close to him. He locked his fingers together, trapping her in his arms.

"Leave," she hissed as she tried to push him away from her, but he was too strong and held his place.

"No," Shawn said, "Not until we finish this conversation." He was stubborn. He would not leave it like this. He opened the flood gates and his heart was still speaking for his head because if he would have listened to his head, he never would have been in this mess in the first place. His head never would have told her that he loved her or would not be fighting the flight instinct instead of the fight instinct that was keeping him rooted in place with her…fighting for her love.

"Mimi open this door right now or I will break it down!" Patrick said with a warning tone.

"One second!" she screamed, "I just need to get appropriately dressed!" She looked at Shawn with the saddest puppy eyes she could muster, "Please leave."

"Fine," Shawn said ignoring her triumph smile and chuckled when he watched her face drop as he went to her closet instead of her balcony door.

"Miriam Lockhart if you do not open this door…."

"What!" she screamed at her brother as she opened the door in his mid rant.

"What's going on?" he said, never looking at her but his eyes sweeping the room.

"What do you mean?"

"I heard you screaming."

"I was on the phone with a friend," she said, "and she insulted me. I screamed at her to 'take it back.' I didn't realize that was a crime in this family," she said in an accusatory tone.

"Is someone here?" Patrick asked as he opened the bathroom door and looked in as he continued his sweep of her room.

"I'm alone," She said, "I already told you that. I was on the phone."

"I heard that part," he said, "I just don't believe it."

"What part?" she said, "Am I so pathetic in your eyes that I can't have friends?

"Yes," he said simply as he reached for the closet's doorknob.

Shawn was two seconds away from running out of the closet and kicking his ass for calling her pathetic. With a balled fist he reached for the door knob with his other, but her voice stopped him.

"Asshole!"

"Did my baby just swear?" he whispered in disbelief.

"Did you just swear at me?" Patrick said, sharing Shawn's stunned expression.

"Yes," she nearly growled at him, "because you're being an asshole. Now get out of my room!" She ran over and pulled him away from the closet door. She could see her brother's amused expression as she continued to push him toward the door.

"She's swearing now," Patrick said in a mocking tone, "My baby sister's growing up." He brushed away an imaginary tears as he smiled at her.

"Jerk," she said as she gave him one last shove before he stumbled out of her room and she slammed the door in his face. She made a point to make locking her door as loud as possible.

"I'm going to kill that asshole," Shawn said charging out of the closet door towards her bedroom door.

"You will do no such thing," Mimi said as she pushed Shawn away from the door.

"He can't get away with treating you like that."

"He can and he did," she said, "get over it."

"I will not get over it," he said, trying to keep the belittlement out of his tone, "That piece of shit does not get away with saying something like that to the woman I love. He's a fucking dead man."

"He's my brother!" she hissed at him.

"Oh yeah," Shawn said, "then I'll kick the shit out of him instead. Leave the pathetic asshole barely breathing." He tried to get around her but she wouldn't let him. "Baby," he said, "that fucking asshole needs to be taught a lesson. You're my girl and no one treats my love like shit and walks away without at least one limp."

"First of all you Neanderthal, I am not 'you girl,' and secondly I told you not to fall in love with me!" she said, "From the very beginning I told you not to fall in love with me. And you agreed without any hesitant" She looked at him with pleading eyes, "Please take it back."

"Oh my God I cannot believe you're _still_ obsessing about this!" he said as threw his hands up in the air in frustration; fighting the instinct to wrap them around her neck and choke her with his frustrations. "I will not take it back, get over it already!" He took a few steps back from her as he shook his head at her, wishing she would just accept his feelings. _"Fuck, if I can accept them, then what's her problem?"_ "I thought we were past this topic, especially when there is more important topics out there, like me kicking his ass and him wake up in a gutter somewhere!" he practically growled out the threat to her. He didn't want to have this argument with her; he wanted to beat the sense into that idiot. As he was walking he said, "Instead I get to watch you rip my _bleeding_ heart into millions of pieces in front of me." He didn't know how it happened but she went from extremely irate to crying within the second. He tried to reach out to her but she stepped back, refusing to let him touch her.

"Why?" she said in tears, "How?"

"How can I love you?" he asked in disbelief, when he saw her nod yes he stood there dumbfounded. He wasn't sure how to answer her question. "I don't know baby," he said. _"How badly did this family fuck her up? That asshole Ross?"_ He couldn't understand how someone so full of life as her would think so little of herself.

"You can't love me."

"Stop telling me what I'm suppose to feel!" he said in a harsher tone than he intended. He regretted his tone, when he saw her flinch at him. He took a deep breath and pitched the bridge of his nose. He did this whenever he was really frustrated, "I know what I feel and I know who I love. I love you. I've tried so hard not to, but I…"

"Try harder," she hissed. She didn't really know why she was doing this, she could see his frustrations. But she just couldn't believe someone like him would love someone like her. And she couldn't stop the knee jerk reaction to push him away.

"You don't think I didn't!" he nearly screamed back at her, "I tried my hardest not to fall in love with you. For all intent of purposes you are my enemy…"

"Intent of purposes?" she said mocking him, "I am your enemy. This won't end well."

"Apparently for my heart it ended with you throwing it in a blender and pushing crush," he said, "I know this is supposed to be wrong, forbidden, unholy or unorthodox or whatever chose terms you want to use. But its how I feel. I love you with every fiber of my being. You're on my mind all the time. I can't stop thinking about you or what you are doing. When I'm not with you I'm worried that something bad might happen to you. When I'm with you my heart is racing a mile a minute. I look into your eyes and I see my future. I see my love. The great love of my life."

"Don't please," she said with tears flowing from her eyes, "I'm unworthy."

"No baby you're not," he said as he wiped away her tears with his thumbs, "I'm the unworthy one. If you could ever love me I know I will not be worthy of it."

"If?" she said in disbelief, "There is no if Shawn."

His face fell at her words, his heart ached in a way he never knew possible, "I'm sorry," he said turning back to the balcony, "I ruined our friendship. I should have known you'd never care for me the way I care for you…"

"You misunderstand me Shawn," she said to his retreating form, "There is no if I will love you because I do love you. Against my better judgment I love you too."

He stopped at her words and the biggest smile broke out on his face. _"She loves me too_," he thought to himself, he couldn't stop grinning like an idiot, "_She loves me too…then why did she smack me?"_ He turned to face with, his grin dropped as he looked at her confused; he tilted his head to the side and said, "If you love me like you claim, why does my face hurt from your abuse." He pointed to his redden cheek to emphasize his point.

"Because you can't love me," she stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You said you loved me too," he inquired as he lifted his head to look at her face to face. Her response only increased his confusion and frustration. "So does that mean I have to hit you? Because baby, I don't hit women….well there was that one time…or maybe a few…but they were bitches. I seriously think that they were men dressed as women because fuck, they hit hard..."

"Shawn," she said interrupting his long rant. She smiled at his confused expression and big brown eyes that was trying to understand her logic. Hell, she didn't even understand why she hit him. She couldn't believe that he loved her, she still can't, "I hit you because you can't love me."

"But I do," he said stepping towards her with a big smile, "and you love me."

"I want to believe you," she said softly, "but I can't."

Shawn felt like he was just run over by a tank, her words cut him deep inside of his heart. He was positive he would bleed forever from that cut. "Why?" he asked, he couldn't hide the hurt from his voice, "Why can't you believe me? My words are true baby. I love you; you hold my heart in your hands." He grabbed her hands as he said those words.

"Because they are just words," she said as she pulled her hands away from him.

"Just words?" he said in disbelief, "Just words!" he screamed and this time she covered his mouth. After a few seconds she dropped her hands. "What did I do for you tonight Mimi?" he asked her, "Whose secret did I kill a man to protect? If that's not love…"

"Shawn," she said, "that's not love."

"I risked prison for you," he said, trying to reason with her.

"You'd do the same thing for your father everyday; it's a part of who you are, not who you love," she said, "and all the time I wondered why? Why would you do this? I want to believe you Shawn. I really do."

"Then believe me."

"I can't," she said, "Ross…"

"I'm not Ross!" he hissed at her, "I'm sick and tired of you comparing me to him. You're right. I am a monster that does my father's bidding because of my _loyalty_ and _**love**_for my family. What does that say…"

"Ross taught me not to trust people," she said interrupting his rant, "Especially those people who could stand to gain by having me in their life."

Her words her were a cold hard slap in the face, she was right. He was first was only in her life to get something from her. He didn't plan on falling in love with her. In fact he has what he needs on her family; this is the point where he should have walked, no run away from her. "I don't understand," Shawn whispered.

"You need to prove it to me," she said, "Show me in actions that you love me."

Shawn smiled at her as he leaned in and kissed her. He picked her up and carried her to the bed. He leaned down to kiss her again when he meant her confused face and her hand pushing him away from her.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Funny I was just going to ask you the same thing," Shawn said sitting next to her, "You asked me to make love to you."

"No I didn't," she said shaking her head 'no' to emphasize her point even more.

"Yes you did," Shawn said, "You told me to show you in actions how much I love you."

"That's not what I meant," Mimi said, "Anyone can have sex Shawn, that doesn't prove anything."

"I'm not following," he said as he rolled off of her and laid on the bed beside her, "What do I need to do to prove my love to you?"

"I want the grand gesture," she said sitting up.

"The what?" he asked.

"Grand gesture," she said, "That's how you will prove you love me."

"How do I do that?" Shawn asked as he sat up and turned to face her on the bed.

"That's for you to figure out," Mimi said, "You said so yourself our love is unorthodox. You need to prove to me that you love me. I do love you Shawn and I really want to believe you. I fell for a face like that before that only told me the words and would have sex with me but when push came to shove, he never loved me by his actions. And if I learned anything from my mother, it's never trust a Brady completely without the grand gesture."

"Haven't my actions spoken for me yet?" Shawn asked, "Especially after what I did to protect you."

"No," she said, "I'm sorry it _would_ have been enough if you weren't Shawn-Douglas Brady and I wasn't Miriam Lockhart. What you proven to me is how well you fit into this life we live in, not your love for me."

"I'll show you how much I love you," Shawn said. His head was thinking of how to accomplish this while his heart was feeling guilty. If he wanted a chance with her he would have to tell her the truth of what he did to destroy her engagement to Ross and why he came back into her life. But he knew that as soon as he told her the truth she would shut him out of her life and hold his heart hostage for the rest of his life.

She noticed his weary expression and reached up to caress his cheek with her hand. She leaned over and kissed the other cheek that she had slapped twice, "Don't worry Shawn," she said, "as soon as you prove yourself my heart is yours."

He smiled at her and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips, "Then I'm going to move heaven and earth to show you how much I love you."

"I don't need heaven and earth," she said, "I just need to know that I can spend my life with you, that I can trust you with my heart, my body, my life, and my soul."

"As you wish my love," he said giving her one last chaste kiss before walking out of the door to climb down the tree again.

Mimi watched him leave and shed more tears. She'd hope he would come back to her because as much as she wanted to believe he didn't have it; she knew he already had her heart.

* * *

Shawn was like a man possessed as he raced to his minion who specialized in fake identities, he was also a loyal solider that his family did not know of, so they could not trace his whereabouts back to him. He knocked twice on the door and was greeted with a gun to his face, he didn't even flinch, "Unless you have a fucking death wish," Shawn threatened, "I'd get that out of my face now."

"Sorry," Kevin said, "Occupational hazard." He lowered the gun and let Shawn in. He locked the door and turned to his visitor, "And what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

"I need some new identities," Shawn said, "and this cannot get back to the family."

"Understood," Kevin said, "My loyalty is to you first."

"Good," Shawn said, "I need a new identity along with her." Shawn handed him the picture of Mimi is stole from one of her photo albums.

"Is this who I think it is?" he asked as he looked at Mimi's picture.

"If you mean someone you've never met before and don't know anything about," Shawn said, his voice laced with a threat of pain if he continued with this line of thinking, "then you're right. You don't know her at all."

"Give me two hours," Kevin said.

"You have thirty minutes," Shawn said.

"I need at least an hour," Kevin said, "or else it won't be a good job."

"Fine," he said, "I'll be back in an hour." He walked to the door to let himself out, "And they better be ready."

"They will be," Kevin said as he went to work.

Shawn drove back to his house and was grateful that no one was home. He went straight into his room and grabbed two duffle bags. He packed his clothes, Mimi's book, and other necessities into one and left the other one empty. He went back downstairs and was out the door before anyone came home. He was back at Kevin's within the hour. He knocked on the door and was once again greeted by a gun.

Kevin immediately lowered the gun and walked back to get Shawn's new identities, "Here you go," he said handing him a manila envelope, "I must say that they are one of my best works. I have driver's licenses, social security cards, birth certificates, and marriage certificate."

"Marriage certificate?" Shawn question, "Jacob Ezekiel Andrews and Taylor Regina Andrews," he said reading the IDs.

"I gave her a maiden background as well, she was Taylor Elliot before she married Jacob Andrews," Kevin explained, he couldn't decipher Shawn's facial expression. He rubbed the back of his head nervously and began to ramble, "Figured if you were running away with the woman I have never met or seen before in my life that you were pretty serious," he said, "so I figured married. If I was wrong, the world might think its incest but you…" His sentence was cut off by Shawn punching him.

"Don't you dare disrespect my girl," Shawn growled at him as he grabbed him by the collar and threw him against the wall, "The last man who did that not only did I cut the bastard into little pieces, I shot his little friend off before the decapitation." He looked down briefly, "If you know what I mean."

"My apologizes," he said, remembering who he was addressing, "Please don't kill me."

"I won't," Shawn said, "but next time I might not be so kind."

"Dually noted Mr. Brady," Kevin said.

"Thanks," Shawn said with a smile as he released him, "I need to get going. You did a good job." He reassured the terrified man before him.

"Thanks Shawn," Kevin said, he bit back his sarcastic remark not wanting to anger the young man again.

Shawn reached the door and turned around before opening it, "Do I need to remind you what I'd do to you if you cross me?"

"Nope," Kevin said, "it's burned into my memory my torturous death by your hands."

"Just checking," Shawn said with a smile, "see you around. And I was…"

"You were never here."

Shawn nodded before leaving Kevin's place. He got back on his bike and drove to Mimi's house. Within five minutes he was already over the wall, climbed up her tree, and was walking towards her. "Hey baby," he said, "did you miss me?"

"Shawn?" Mimi said surprised, "What are you doing here?"

"Proving my love," he said before giving her a sweet kiss on the lips.

"You left an hour and a half ago," she said.

"I know," he said, "I wanted it to be only an hour but planning took longer than I thought."

"Planning?" she asked.

"Pack the only the essentials," he said handing her an empty duffle bag.

"Why?"

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

"Against my better judgment."

"Then do as you're told," he said as he smiled at her sarcastic remark, "and go pack the necessities. We don't have much time."

"Give me ten minutes," she said.

"You have five," he said, "so get your cute ass moving." He slapped her in the butt as he pushed her towards her closet. He laughed at her scowl she sent him when she slapped her butt. Five minutes later Shawn had the duffle bag around his torso and was climbing down the tree with Mimi. When they reached his bike he had Mimi carry both bags around her as they drove off.

"Where are we going?"

"Trust remember," Shawn said as he went faster through the streets of Salem. They stopped at the outskirts where Shawn hid his bike behind a warehouse and covered it with a blanket. He grabbed the bags from Mimi, putting one around him and carried the other one while he held her hand with his free hand. He took her to a secluded spot where she watched as he covered his small boat from its hiding spot. He threw the bags on it and pushed it towards the water. Before it was completely off land he motioned for Mimi to get in. When she sat down he pushed it completely in the water and hopped in. He rowed them into the deeper waters before starting the motor. Before Mimi knew it they were on the island that she did not know existed.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"Smith Island," Shawn said, "My safe haven is here that I only know about." He pulled the boat out of the water and started to cover it from prying eyes.

"But I thought you…"

"I have two safe havens," he said answering her question, "This one is just harder to get to. No one knows about this place but me and my great grandparents. My great grandfather gave me this place before he died. He said it was his secret place he took my great gran to. It was a place for lovers." He had finished hiding the boat and turned to her.

"I told you that sex wasn't…"

"It's not about sex," Shawn said grabbing the bags and her hand, "This is just phase one."

"Phase one?" Mimi asked.

"I'll explain when we get there," Shawn said as they walked down a path. Within ten minutes they were in front of the Horton cabin on Smith Island that now only two living people knew about in this whole world. "This is the Horton cabin," Shawn said, "My great grandfather build it for a place to go when he need peace and quiet. Then he brought my great gran for romantic weekends for two." He winked at her.

"But this isn't about sex?" Mimi asked again as she watched Shawn unlock the door and let her in.

"Trust remember?" Shawn said as he put down the bags and went to staring a fire, "I'm going to start a fire can you light the candles so we have some light? This place doesn't have any electricity."

Mimi did as she was told. When she was done she sat down on the couch and waited for Shawn to finish tending to the fire. Shawn sat down next to her when the fire was roaring. She looked at him and wondered what was going on, "What do you think of the name Taylor?" he asked her.

Mimi was confused, she didn't understand where he was going with this, "I think it's a very pretty name," she said, "but I don't see what this has to do with proving yourself…"

"Because it's you," he said handing her the ID, "Taylor Regina Andrews. Well your maiden name was Elliot, but what can I say, I swept you off your feet." He winked at her with a playful smile.

"I don't understand," she said looking at the ID, "That's me, but it's not me." She looked at him, the confusion was written all over her face and she looked at him with eyes that begged for understanding.

"I know why you wanted me to prove myself to you," he said, "and I'm not hurt or offended about it like I originally was."

"Shawn…" she said in a sad tone.

"It's Jacob actually," he said handing her his new identification, "Jacob Ezekiel Andrews. But I think I'll go by Jake," he said smiling, "Yeah Jake Andrews, sounds better." He saw her open her mouth to speak put he put his left pointer finger over her lips, "Shish, it's still my turn," he said, "I talk, you listen." He watched her nod her head and he continued, "I'm not Ross," he said, "and I thank God for that because he was an ass; but he did have one thing that I will never have."

"What?" she asked not following this conversation at all. He was nothing like Ross and did not know what Ross has that he couldn't possess.

"The ability to fit perfectly in your life, your family," Shawn said, "and you knew that before I even thought about it. That is why you were so hesitant to be real with me, to be near me. You knew that I would never be invited over for Sunday dinners, not that I would want to be there choking down some shitty ass food…" he said her glare at him, "But I digress, back to my original point. That is you and me. You wanted me to prove to you my love for you because you knew that it had to be the real deal to risk it all. Because you knew that the only way we can be together is to not be each other."

"I don't understand," she said, gesturing to the fake IDs she was still holding.

"I can't fit in your life and you can't fit into mine," he said simply, "because of our families, this hatred, and the feud. The only way we can be together is to runaway together and rebuild our lives together. So that's what I'm doing to prove my love for you. I renounce my family and my loyalty to them. For this day forward I will be loyal to you and you only. You are my love and you are my family. I love you Miriam Lockhart or should I say Taylor Andrews, my one true love." He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her head.

"We can't stay in this cabin forever," she said.

"I know," he said, "this is the pit stop for tonight. Tomorrow I will bring us back to the other side where I will drive us to our neighboring city to the airport where Mr. and Mrs. Andrews will hop on a plane to some backwoods town in Wyoming. From then on Shawn-Douglas Brady and Miriam Lockhart will cease to exist and Jake and Taylor Andrews will begin their lives together. This is my grand gesture to you, this is me," he pointed to himself, "showing you," he pointed to her, "how much I love you and want to be with you."

Mimi couldn't stop herself from crying. Shawn was willing to renounce his family and leave them behind for her. Her heart burst with excitement and she believed that he loved her. He loved her more than anyone has ever loved her in her whole life. He provided that to her by showing her that he loved her more than he loved himself. Something Ross was incapable of doing for her. It was that moment she knew that Shawn-Douglas Brady was the great love of her life.

She cried so hard that Shawn didn't know if she was happy or sad about it. He wrapped his arms around her body. "I'm sorry," he said, "I thought this would make you happy. I thought this would prove how much I love you."

"It does," she said as she sniffled.

"Then why are you crying?" he asked as he gently wiped her tears away with his thumbs.

"These are happy tears my love," she said. She leaned up and kissed him with all the love she felt for him, "Shawn," she said, "I want you to make love to me."

"But this isn't about sex," he said firmly, she could sense the confusion in his tone as well, "Tonight isn't about sex."

"I know," she said as she caressed his cheek with her hand, "It's about love."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

""I've never been more sure of anything than I am of you and me and this moment," she said, "And tomorrow we go back to Salem."

"But I thought…"

"You've proven your love to me," she said, "And that how did you put it?" She paused for a moment to think, "That backwards town in Wyoming will be there when we are ready to leave. But for now Jake and Taylor Andrews continue to not exist because I really would love it if Shawn-Douglas Brady made love to Miriam Lockhart."

"As you wish my love," he said smiling. He leaned down and kissed her as he picked her up. He carried her to the bed, never breaking their kiss. He laid her down and looked at her. She looked so beautiful to him as the light from the fire and candles engulfed her body with light. He could see her eyes sparkling with desire and love for him, "God you're so beautiful," he said, "I love you so much."

"I love you too," she said, before he reclaimed her lips in a kiss that possessed all the fiery passion he had for her.

That night in the seclusion of the woods, two young star crossed lovers make love for the first time as the world they knew continued to thrive unknowing to the forbidden love between a Brady and a Lockhart. This love that was so innocent and pure that would cause death and destruction when it was discovered. They did not care about it. The only thing they cared about what each other and this feeling that drove their senses crazy.


	15. Lose Her

**Chapter 14- Lose Her**

The morning rays were creeping through the curtains as its warms rays slowly began to stir Mimi from her slumber. She tried to roll onto her stomach but she felt resistance as two strong arms pulled her back against his chest. This had jolted her out of her sleep as she turned to her head to meet the sleepy gaze of her lover.

"Too early," he mumbled almost incoherently, "go back to sleep."

"But I can't sleep anymore," she said with a pout.

"I guess I didn't do a good enough job of wearing you out last night then," he said wiggling his eyebrows, "I'll have to remedy that problem next time."

She laughed at him as he buried his head into her neck. She tried to wiggle out of his arms; only to have him pull her even tighter to his body, "Shawn we have to get up."

"Nope," he mumbled into her neck, "it's sleeping time."

"It's wakey time," she said.

"But I like this," he said.

"Me too," she sighed in contentment.

"Then stop trying to leave me," he said, "I love the feel of your in my arms. It feels right. You fit perfectly in my arms…"

"Like I belong there," she finished for him.

"Yeah," he said, "now go back to sleep baby."

"But…"

"Sleep," he ordered as he nuzzled his face into her neck and drew her even closer to his body.

She could feel his warm breath on her neck and it sent tingles throughout her body. She let out a slight giggle at his boyish antics and decided that she really didn't need to leave the bed at that moment of time. Mimi was too content where she was to every leave his arms. She looked around the cabin to get a good look at it. It was just one big room with a small kitchen, table and chairs, couch, fireplace, and bed. Her room at home was bigger than this whole cabin; but yet she felt more at home here than she did there. When she looked back at the kitchen again, she got angry and rolled out of bed.

"Hey," he said reaching out to bring her back to bed but was only met by air, "Where are you going?" He watched her movements as he debated whether to follow her or try and coax her back to bed.

Mimi quickly grabbed Shawn's discarded shirt from last night and put it on before turning to him. She glared at him, "How could you?"

"How could I what?" he asked as he sat up in bed and starting looking for his boxers.

"I thought you were different," she said, "How could you do it?"

"Okay this confused expression," he said pointing to his face as he sat up and pulled on his boxers, "Means I have no idea what you are talking about." He got out of bed and walked towards her only to have her back away. He sighed before stopping, "Could you give me a little more to go on besides 'How could you' because I'm not connecting the dots."

"I thought we were going for honesty," she said.

"I'm still confused," he said as he ran his hand through his hair and then rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, "It's too early for mind games. Just say it because I can't handle riddles this early…"

"You lied to me," she said, "And I want to know why you did it. More importantly did you think I would never find out?"

"Oh," Shawn said wide eyed. "_How did she find out? Did I talk in my sleep?" _

"Yeah oh Shawn," she said, "Why did you do it?"

"I'm sorry, it was a stupid idea," Shawn said, "I can't say I regret it, because then I would never have known you the way I do and…"

"What are you talking about?" Mimi asked wrinkling her brow in confusion.

"Huh?" Shawn said confused. _"Maybe she doesn't know that I tried to destroy her family. But if that's the case, what is this argument about?"_

"I just want to know why you thought you could tell me this place had no electricity when it was quite obvious when I would wake up and see the appliances," she said gesturing to the kitchen.

"Oh that," Shawn said, trying to hide his relief.

"What did you think I was talking about?" she asked.

"I just thought that candle light and the fireplace would be more romantic," Shawn said.

"You seemed upset more than just wanting a romantic setting," Mimi said, she looked at his suspiciously, "What are you hiding?"

Shawn just stared at her, she knew he was hiding something from her and he couldn't lie to her anymore. He just prayed to God that she would understand and forgive him. That after all the cards was laid on the table she would still love him and want to be with him. He had to tell her the truth about everything. No more lies. He looked into her big green eyes and was slowly losing his nerve. _"Who am I kidding? She'll never forgive me. She said so herself that people only want her for what they can get from her. And after I tell her the truth she'll know that's why I suddenly popped into her life. If I tell her the truth she'll never open up to anyone ever again because she opened up to her enemy and gave him the information to destroy her family."_

"What are you thinking about?" she asked him, breaking him away from his thoughts.

Shawn was torn between the truth and telling her a lie. He knew that his family knew his plan and couldn't bare the thought of her finding out from someone else. _"I have to tell her,"_ he told himself with conviction, _"but first I need to level the playing field."_ Shawn walked to her bag and held it out to her, "Get dressed," he said.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Do you trust me?"

"You know I do."

"Then do as I ask and get dressed," he said, "You're right. I am hiding something from you and I'm going to tell you everything today. But first we need to get dressed and go back to Salem."

"Okay," she said as she hurried to change. She watched as he grabbed their belongings and locked up. Within the hour they were back on his motorcycle weaving through the streets of Salem.

He parked his bike near a park. He grabbed his bag and pulled out two baseball hats. He put one on himself and handed the other one to her, "Put this on," he said, "better chance that we won't be recognized." He grabbed her free hand as he led her to his family secret…to his father's secret.

Mimi put on the hat and followed him without question. They stopped after about ten minutes of walking.

"There," he said as he pointed.

Mimi followed his finger to see his father talking to a woman. After closer examination, she noticed it was Billie Reed. She was Bo Brady's ex-lover that nearly destroyed Bo and Hope's marriage about eighteen years ago. The person she did not know was the dark haired teenager that was with Bo and Billie in the deserted park, "I don't understand."

"That is my father's dirty little secret that I have carried with me for the past ten years," Shawn said, "A secret that will destroy my family if it came out. A secret that my father does not know I know. I found out by accident when I was thirteen years old. I followed him on one of his many trips he took by himself. I thought he needed back up, what I found was this."

"What are Bo and Billie doing together?" she asked, "Wait, why he is kissing her?"

"They have been having an affair for most of my life," he said simply as if it wasn't a big deal.

Mimi looked at him with wide eyes on how normal he sounded when he said that, "Who is that girl?" she asked, wondering if she really wanted to know the answer.

"That girl is Chelsea Benson," Shawn said, "my half sister."

"What?" Mimi said in shock, she thought that was what he was going to say but hearing him conferment in a nonchalant voice sent her senses into overdrive.

"My father and Billie had an affair eighteen years ago and by the looks of it, still having an affair," Shawn said, "and that is the bi-product of their great romance."

"I don't understand," she said, "if she's your sister than why is her last name Benson?"

"To hide her from the world," Shawn said, "If she went around with the name Brady she'd be the reason my parents get divorced and things turn bloody. If she went around with her mother's last name Reed the same result."

"They look like a happy family," Mimi said.

"They are," Shawn said, "my father never truly stopped seeing Billie. They broke it off when my mother nearly found out. They started again when Billie found out she was pregnant. Bo sent her away so no one would know and my mom wouldn't get anymore suspicious. My father has a second family that he's kept hidden all these years." He turned his gaze from his father to Mimi, "I know exactly when she was born; it was the day my father disappeared for a month."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"To even the playing field."

"What?"

"I know something that will destroy your family, so I gave you the bomb that will destroy mine."

"That's not why I told you," Mimi said, "I wasn't expecting you to tell me your secrets. You could have kept this hidden from me and I would have respected that."

"This isn't what I'm hiding from you," Shawn said, "And when I tell you, you might hate me. I wanted to even the playing field. I want you to know that it wasn't what you might think it was…not anymore. I wanted you to know how much I love you and trust you."

"I don't understand," she said.

"I know," he said, "and I will tell you everything. But first we need to get away from them." He gestured to his father and his second family.

She nodded and let him grab her hand and lead her back to his motorcycle. When they reached the motorcycle she put his baseball hat back in his bag. She waited as he stuffed his hat in the bag as well. He paced in front of her as he ran a nervous hand through his hair, "Before I tell you this I want you to know that I love you," he said, "I love you with every fiber of my being."

"I love you too."

"Please do not interrupt me," Shawn said, "because this is hard enough without the interruptions."

"Only if you stop pacing," she said grabbing her arm with her hand, "You're making me dizzy."

Shawn nodded before taking the hand on his arm into his hand as he led her to a nearby bench. They sat down and he looked at her, "My heart is breaking right now," he said as he noted her confused expression, "Because I know I'm going to hurt you right now. Six months ago I wouldn't have cared, but now I hurt because I know you're going to be hurt. And what makes it worse, is that it is all my fault."

"I'm not following," she said, "What's going to hurt me?"

"You watch _One Tree Hill_ right?"

"I knew you loved that show!" she said with a smug expression remembering the time Shawn had complained the whole time she made him watch an episode.

"Focus baby," he said drawing her thoughts back to the present, "this is really important."

"Sorry," Mimi said sheepishly, "but I still don't follow…" her sentence was cut off with his explanation.

"Remember in the first season when Nathan befriended Haley to get back at Lucas," Shawn said, "but he ended up falling in love with her. Then she found out about that plan and he said he didn't regret it because that stupid plan brought him to her."

"Yeah," she said, "but I don't get what that has to do with us."

"I'm Nathan," Shawn said, "to your Haley and Lucas is your family."

"I don't get the compassion….Oh my God," she said with a gasp as she covered her mouth. Her eyes widen at the realization of what he was trying to tell her.

"Six months ago I was sitting at the table with my father and Uncle Roman," he said, "and we were reeling from the loss of my cousin that was killed by your family. Things in your family had been too quiet…calm before the storm. I didn't want to lose anymore family members to your father so I came up with a plan to get someone on the inside. My plan was to attack the weakest link…" he looked at her with excruciating sad and remorseful eyes.

"Me," she whispered at the same time he said.

"You," he said, "I was to befriend you to get you to tell me your family secrets. At the time I was proud of my plan to have the Lockhart dynasty fall apart at the hands of his own daughter…now I'm just sickened by it."

"Ross," she said holding back the tears. She couldn't help but to wonder if she really was unfaithful to her or if it was just part of Shawn's master plan.

"I found out you were dating Ross and knew I had to eliminate him from the equation if my plan was going to be executed," he confessed.

"He didn't really cheat on me?" she asked in a small voice, hating herself for losing her backbone.

"Yes he did," Shawn said his voice was breaking with the pain he was reining down on them, "I dug into his background to find his weakness to use against him. I'm sorry baby, but there were other women."

The tears she was holding back began to fall freely from her eyes. She didn't know if she was happy or sad that Ross really was unfaithful to her.

"I hired Tiffany to seduce Ross and sent you those flowers," Shawn said as he choked back a small sob, "I wanted you to catch him in the act. I wanted you to see him for the lying bastard he really was."

"Lying bastard?" she snapped back at him, "Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?"

"I know I'm a fucking bastard," Shawn said as the tears began to form in his eyes, "I'm like fucking pond scum."

"At Tuscany when I saw him with her."

"I hired her for that," he said, he hesitated for a few moments before finishing his sentence "even offered her bonuses for making you cry." God he really hated the bastard that was him.

"Philip asking me to dance? My family leaving without me?"

"All part of my plan to get you to spend time with me," Shawn said, "I'm not proud of what I did, but I'm not sorry. It got me you."

"You don't have me," she spat out, "You lied to me. All of this was a lie." She gestured wildly between them.

"Not all of it," Shawn said, "I fell in love with you. That is all true. Everything I did for you these past months were because of my love for you. I tried to fight it, even from the beginning. Fucking A' Meems, I beat the shit out of my little brother for getting me to admit the truth and for saying even one bad thing about you! But the more I fought it the harder I fell."

"I don't believe you."

"Our first lunch together I took you to my secret place," Shawn said, "and I wanted to kick my own ass for it because I didn't even think about it. I just took you there."

"I can't hear this," she said standing up and walking away from him.

"I love you," Shawn said following her, "I'm willing to give up everything for you."

"How can I believe you!" Mimi hissed as she turned around to glare at him, "Everything you told me was a lie!"

"Not everything," he said, "just the beginning on why I suddenly came back into your life."

"I…I can't…my secret," she said with a new realization she didn't see before, "That's why you kept pressuring me to tell you."

"That right there should show you that I truly love you!" he said as he pointed at her.

She let out amused laugh, "That you wanted the secret that will destroy my family."

"No," Shawn said, "that I killed to protect your secret and was going to burn the evidence without looking at it! I even argued with you not to tell me! I never told a soul your secret. I chose my loyalty to you when I _lied_ to _my father_ to protect _you_!"

"How can I believe a word out of your deceitful mouth!"

"I love you," Shawn said trying to withhold the tears that were at the brink of falling, "that's why I showed you the secret that could ruin my family. I gave you the same power to annihilate my family that you gave me. The only difference is that I can promise you right here that I'll never share your secret with anyone."

"I can't be with you," she said, "you're worse than Ross Smith. I never thought I would utter those words because Shawn-Douglas Brady was always protecting me and saving me. I can't believe I made love to you….I guess it was really _just sex_."

"It wasn't sex, we made love," Shawn said trying to reach out to hold her, but she pushed him away, "We made love because you love me and I love you. Remember my proving my love to you was for us to runaway together and build a new life together. I renounced my family and made you my family. You have my heart, my soul, my love, my everything." He could not hold back the tears any longer. It was like the flood gates were open when his tears flowed from his eyes. "I can't live without you."

"That's too bad," she said, "because I sure in the hell can live without you." She could feel more tears forming her eyes. She knew she had to leave before they started to fall.

"Baby, please…"

"Baby? Baby?" she said irritably, "I am not your baby I am not your anything…not anymore."

"Please don't say that," Shawn pleaded, "I'll do anything. Name it and it's yours."

"Anything?" she asked.

"Yes," he said, as he started to hold onto some hope that this relationship wasn't over, "Anything."

"Leave me alone," she said with malice laced in her voice, "I never want to see your lying face again." She saw his face drop at her words.

"As you wish," he choked out through his tears, "but know this. I will always love you."

"I don't believe a single word out of your deceitful mouth," she said, "I hate you and I hope you drop dead." She turned and ran away from him as fast as her legs would take her.

"**I WILL LOVE YOU UNTIL THE DAY I DIE!"** he yelled to her retreating form before he fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands as he broke down on the sidewalk.

Mimi ran around the corner and into a dark alley. She fell to the ground and wept like a baby. She heard his final plea to her. She could not believe this was happening. She never felt more betrayed in her life than she did at this moment of time. She could not believe that a mere two hours ago she was waking up in his arms after the special night together, "How did we get from madly in love to this?" she asked herself, "How could I just let him walk into my life without questioning it? He's my enemy; of course he's going to use me to destroy my family. He was right, you are the weakest link." She saw a shadow cast over her, "I told you that I never want to see you again." She felt him roughly grab her by the arm and pull her up. "Get your filthy hands off of me Shawn," she said trying to break free from his grasp, "I told you to drop dead." She saw handkerchief come to her mouth and an unfamiliar voice whisper in her ear.

"Looks like I got myself a Lockhart," he said as he held her to his body as she struggled as she inhaled the chloroform, "and I can finally have my revenge on David Lockhart by killing his precious daughter. An eye for an eye, he killed my daughter and I'm going to kill his."

Mimi felt her body becoming limper as the chloroform took effect, the last thought running through her mind was that Shawn wasn't here to save her. He wouldn't even know that she was missing because she told him to leave her alone. Forever.


	16. Miss Her

**Chapter 15- Miss Her**

Shawn was huddled into a ball on the sidewalk as the tears flowed freely from his eyes. He could not tear his eyes away from the last spot he saw Mimi as he held on to the hope that maybe she would come running back, "Baby," he said, "please come back." The small hope was crushed when her voice played over and over in his head, _"Leave me alone, I never want to see your lying face again!"_ He knew in his head that she was never coming back, but his heart still held onto a tiny grain of hope that maybe someday she would be his again. His heart demanded his body to run after the girl who stole his heart. But his head reminded his aching heart that he granted her that one wish and it was to never see him again. He would respect her wishes no mater how much it killed him. The only thing he could do is sit around and wait for the day she would walk back into his life. Oh Lord Almighty, did he wish that day would come soon. He felt a hand on his shoulder and smiled, _"You came back to me,"_ his heart screamed as he turned around. His smiled dropped when he saw who was standing there.

Mimi slowly came into consciousness and as her eyes fixed on her surrounds, she was a little confused. It took about a minute for her memory to come back to her. Shawn's betrayal. The man that had kidnapped her. He must have brought her somewhere. She didn't have any idea how long she had been unconscious, or even if she was still in Salem. She knew that by the time her father or brother realized she was missing this bastard would have already done away with her. He didn't want a ransom, he wanted her blood. She struggled with her bounds but could not free herself. She couldn't stop the tears from falling because she knew that the only one who would have known within seconds that she was missing was the one man she banished from her presence until her dying breath. And it looked like her dying breath might be the same day she spat out that heinous wish. She never wished so hard in her life that she would have been able to redo a moment in time. One moment in time that will cost her her life. If she could have a do over, she would do over that moment she requested that wish from Shawn. She could see it in his eyes that he would have given her the moon if she wished for it. Instead, her wish will be her downfall as well as Shawn's. When the news of death reached Shawn's ears; he would never forgive himself. He would blame himself forever for her death. She didn't want to know that truth, she would have been happier if Shawn had never told her. "Yeah right Lockhart," she mumbled, "you don't believe that one for a second. He told you the truth because he loves you. And you threw it back at him." She heard a noise behind her and tried harder to get her free from her bonds.

Shawn looked at the young woman staring down at him with concern in her brown eyes—his brown eyes…or would it be his father's brown eyes that his son and daughter seemed to have. How could anyone not know she was a Brady? He could see his…their father in her as much as he could see his father in him. He wasn't sure what to do, he knew who she was. But did she know who he was?

"I'm sorry," she said retracting her hand when she felt his body stiffen, "I was just passing by when I noticed you here. Are you alright?" She noticed his pointed look and answered for him, "Of course you're not alright," she said, "you're practically on the ground crying. Are you hurt?" Shawn just stared at her, "Should I call an ambulance?" She waited for a response and got nothing, "Do you understand me?" she said a little slower, "Are you deaf or something?"

He didn't say anything but smiled for the first time. This was the first time he had ever met his sister and she amused him. He watched as she grabbed a pen and a receipt from her purse. She wrote something down and gave the paper and pen to him. His eyes glanced at the paper and read, _"Are you alright? Are you hurt? Do you need me to call an ambulance?"_ His smile widened at her attempts and he didn't write anything but still handed it back to her.

"I don't understand," she said, after looking to see that he did not response to her requests, "Do you not know English? The only other language I know is Spanish and I don't remember it that well because I took a few years back…but you don't look Latino or Hispanic," she watched him raise an eyebrow, "Not that I'm saying you have to look like a…to speak…Oh man. I'm at a loss here." She realized she was rambling on like an idiot but couldn't close her mouth for the life of her. "Maybe you don't know English because you sign?" she looked at him trying to gesture to him to see if he was hurt. She threw her hands up in frustration and said, "Oh I give up! I don't know if I just told you something dirty or not." She heard him laugh, "This isn't funny Mister!" she scolded, "You could be injured and I can't communicate with you because I don't know sign language..."

"Neither do I," Shawn said in an amused tone.

"Ha…ha," she said, "The deaf man has a sense of humor…wait you can hear and you speak?" She narrowed her eyes at him, "And you speak English!"

"Yeah," he said.

"Then why did you make me go through all of that?" she demanded, he was about to speak when she cut him off, "You know never mind, you don't look injured anymore. And I'm sure you're capable of getting yourself to the hospital if you're not okay." She turned around and started to walk away, "Why do I even bother?" she asked herself, "Just my luck he's a crazy psycho killer."

"No, just your brother," he mumbled to himself. "I'm sorry," he yelled over to her, "The great and only love of my life just told me to drop dead and never come near her again."

She stopped dead in her tracks and ended her inner ramblings to herself, "Oh," she said turned to face him, "I'd say I'm sorry but that seems kind of meaningless since we don't know each other."

"That's okay," he said, "you made me smile."

"I know you're hurting and all," she said, "but may I ask you something?"

"You may," he said, "unless its 'drop dead' then I'd have to ask you to refrain. I'm currently attached to my beating pulse." He gave her another smile.

"It's not," she said with a smile at his words. She dropped her smile and looked at him with a serious expression before saying, "Do I know you?"

"I can't answer that," he said awkwardly. _"Do I know you? I'm your brother! Of course you should know me!"_ his insides screamed at her. How could he answer that question? She looks like their dad and he looks like their dad…of course he would look familiar.

"It's just you look familiar," she said, "but I don't ever remember meeting you."

"I'm a mobster's son," Shawn said, "all of Salem knows and fears me."

"Well I don't fear you, you don't look scary at all," she said sitting down next to him, "more like a teddy bear."

"I'd kick your ass for that if you weren't a girl and my sis…." He cut himself off.

"My what?" she asked.

"I was going to say my….clown?" he said trying to make the awkwardness of it all go away, he noticed her confused expression as she tried to process it; "You made me laugh."

"Well Mr. Mobster's son, do you have a name or should I just call you 'Godfather?'"

"Well since my grandfather is the 'Godfather and I'm sure he would not take too kindly to that so I think you should just call me Shawn," he said.

"Chelsea," she said holding out her hand. When he did not respond, she grabbed his hand and shook it. He raised it eyebrow at her, "Listen here mobster boy, in a civilized community people shake hands when they meet people."

"Is that was they do?" he asked amused.

"Yeah," she said matter-o-fact, "Just giving you some lessons in manners…you know to civilize you a little. So then your girl will take you back because you'll be more respectable to take out into public."

"It wasn't my manners or lack there of that made her bolt," he said, "I was an ass and she left. Or maybe I was more of that ass's ass than just being a plain ass."

"You're a man," she said, "by definition that means you have to be on some level of an ass."

"What are you a masochist?" he asked.

"Just when it comes to my dad," she said, "I love him to death, but sometimes I feel like I'm his dirty little secret."

"_You have no idea,"_ Shawn thought. "You want to talk about it?"

"Nope," she said, "You're going to tell me the asinine things you did and then we are going to think of ways to fix this mess."

"She told me to leave her alone," he said, "and I must respect that." He felt her smack him upside the head, "What the hell what that for!"

"Idiot," she said, "She probably doesn't mean it! She wants to see if you'd fight for her."

"She meant it," Shawn said, "I betrayed her in the worst possible way."

"What do you have another family on the side?" she said sarcastically, not knowing how true that was.

"Dream on Squirt," he said bumping his shoulder against hers.

"Hey!" she snapped back at him, "No one is allowed to call me 'squirt' expect my big brother."

"You have a big brother?" Shawn asked, wondering if maybe she did know about him. Or was it possible that his father had more children with Billie than even he knew. But that would mean that Billie was either pregnant before or during his mother's pregnancy with him. That thought unsettled him….it unsettled him a lot.

"No," she said with a shrug, "I'm an only child. I begged my parents to have another kid all the time growing up so that I could have someone to play with. They said they couldn't have anymore children and left it at that."

"Then why did you say that only your big brother can call you Squirt if you don't have one," Shawn asked confused.

"My childhood wasn't pretty," she said, "the kids at school; the neighborhood I grew up in was rough. My dad was gone half the time and my mom was around more than him but still not all the time. I always wished I had a big brother there to protect me from it all or at least that's what my friend Amy said, she had older brothers who were very protective of her well being. I remember looking at her and wishing I had what she had. I wanted someone to protect me when the bullies at school were chasing after me."

Shawn wanted to cry all over again after that one sentence, but he held back the tears because he wouldn't be able to explain them. He could also feel the big brother inside of him coming out because he wanted the names of those individuals so he could pay them a visit…a very bloody visit. He also felt angry at his father because if Salem knew she was Bo Brady's daughter, the kids would have left her alone. Her voice interrupted his thoughts.

"My advice to you is to not give up on the great love of your life," she said, "you only get one like her and you shouldn't throw it away. You should fight for it with all you have."

"Thanks for the advice Squirt," he said, he didn't know why but he hugged her. He was a little surprised that she didn't fight it but embraced it, "But what I did to her was unforgivable and the sad part is that if I could do it all over again I would do the exact same thing because it brought me to her."

Bo was walking down the sidewalk when he heard familiar laughs. He turned his head and saw his children sitting on a bench laughing. His stomach twisted in knots as he watched his two children sitting together. They were never supposed to meet up with each other or being anywhere close to each other. He noticed Shawn's face and knew he had been crying. Chelsea's face lacked the emotional train wreck so he knew his secret was safe. As much as he wanted to go over there and comfort his son, he couldn't because his daughter was sitting right next to him…and he knew that they should never know the truth. He started to freak out when he saw them hug. He couldn't help thinking, _"What if they are dating? He cannot date his sister but I can't tell him that she is his sister either. How am I going to get out of this mess?"_ He quickly left the area before either one of his children spotted him.

"I miss her so much as she's only been gone for an hour," Shawn said, "How can I live the rest of my life without her." He shrugged, "I sound like a fucking pansy. If I wasn't me right now, I'd kick my own ass for being like this."

"You're not a pansy," she said brushing away his tears, "Just a man in love. My advice is to fight for her."

"She doesn't want me," he said, "I told her I'd do anything for her and her request was for me to leave her alone forever. I have to respect that. If I went after her that would mean I didn't love her and respect her."

"No, that means you're a fool," she said, "she's angry right now for whatever you did to her. When she cools down she's going to want you back."

"Then she knows where to find me," Shawn said as he stood up and looked down at her, "Until that day, I will do as I was instructed to do." He started to walk away when he heard her voice.

"Do you always do what you are told Mr. Badass Mobster?"

"Always," he said turning his head to her, "expect for falling in love with her. I wasn't supposed to do that."

"Then maybe you should follow that voice inside your heart to her doorstep," Chelsea advised.

"I'm going to do what she told me to do," Shawn said, "You don't know the story or how deeply I betrayed her. I have to wait for her to come to me and pray to God that she does. Or else I have nothing left to live for."

"Take this," she said digging into her purse once more as she walked over to him. She wrote something down on the paper before handing it to her.

"What is it?" he asked taking the paper from her.

"My phone number," she said, she saw him raise an eyebrow at you, "Incase you need a friend because frankly you're not my type and I will never be interested you like that…and to be quiet honest it kind of creeps me out in an unholy level but I don't know why but it does. It feels like I would be dating my brother and we both know how sick and wrong that would be!" She laughed hoping to convey that her interest was purely platonic with him. She didn't have any idea how relieved he was with her revelation.

"Feelings mutual," he said as he grabbed her pen and scribbled down his number and gave it to her, "Call me whenever you need a superhero. I'll stand in for big brother. Take care of yourself Squirt." Shawn winked at her before he walked away and stuffed the number in his pocket. He never thought he would actually meet his sister. He didn't know if he wanted to, but he was glad he did. Now he has her number and she had his. He wondered if it was possible to make up for eighteen years if she would let him without knowing it. He shook his head as his thoughts went back to Mimi. He couldn't explain it but something wasn't right. His heart ached in a way he never felt before. He could almost sense she was in danger but that would be crazy because people are not so connected that they can sense when someone they love is in danger. Right?

Mimi heard the door open and her eyes landed on her kidnapper. He looked familiar but yet a stranger at the same time. "Who are you?" she asked, "Why are you doing this to me?"

He let out a small laugh, "Figures the Lockhart princess would not remember me," he said bitterly, "I only worked for your family for most of your life!"

"I'm not associated with my father's business," she said.

"No," he said, "but I was your bodyguard for your entire elementary school career."

"Ryan?" she asked.

"So she does remember," he said, "Would you like to know what I remember? I remember working for your father for over twenty years. I protected you and his family. Do you know the thanks I get for it! He killed my daughter and now I'm going to kill you."

"My father knows I'm missing…"

"Your father doesn't have the slightest clue you're gone," Ryan said, "but he will; when I mail him pieces of your body."

"What?" she choked out.

"I'm going to cut you into little pieces and mail you back to Daddy dearest," Ryan said, "David Lockhart will feel the pain of out living his child. The same discomfort he gave to me."

Mimi's eyes widen in horror as she looked over at the table beside her with all sorts of tools he would be using on her. She closed her eyes and prayed to God that someone would save her…but she knew no one could. Her father wouldn't know she was missing for at least a few days since Mimi had a habit of disappearing and reappearing whenever she pleased. She wasn't bounded by family obligations like Patrick was so her presence could go unnoticed for a while. Then there was Shawn, who she knew would wait for her to come to him out of respect for her wishes. He was her only hope of rescue and she knew he would not be coming for her. She choked back the tears, this was the end…and it was going to be a painful end.


	17. Feel Her

**Chapter 16- Feel Her**

Shawn was walking up to the doorstep when he felt that sting in his chest again. He grabbed his chest and bit back the tears. _"What is wrong with me?"_ he thought, _"Why does my chest hurt?"_ The pain subsided again as the door swung open. Shawn looked up at his father and could tell something was wrong, "What is it?"

"You look like crap," he said, "What happened?"

"Nothing," Shawn said, "Just a minor glitch that I'm taking care of."

"Are you okay?" Bo asked again. He noticed Shawn looked paler than normal and it looked like he had been crying.

"I said I was fine," Shawn said pushing past his father and fell on the couch. He clutched his chest again. _"What the hell is wrong with me? Is this what a broken heart feels like?"_ he thought.

"Why are you grabbing your chest?" Bo asked.

"Got into a fight," Shawn lied smoothly, "The bastard got a good one to my chest. Hurts a little."

"Did you take care of the situation?" Bo asked sitting next to Shawn, "Or do you need some assistance?"

"Problem is dead and buried," Shawn said, "No need for backup. I do know how to handle myself here; I've only been doing it for ten years now." He didn't know why he was being a little ass to his father, but he just wasn't in the mood to pretend that his heart wasn't shattered into millions of pieces.

"Did you see someone?"

"I'm fine dad," Shawn said, "so just ask what you really want to ask me so I can go to bed."

"How did you…"

"I know my own father well enough to know when he's stalling," Shawn spat out, "because he doesn't know how to approach a situation." His patience was wearing thin for the man in front of him.

"I was at the park today and I saw you talking to a brunette girl," Bo said.

"_That explains why he's squirming,"_ he thought, _"Does he really think I'm going to date my own sister…that's just sick and wrong."_ He tried to read his father's stone cold expression but got nothing, "Yeah," he said, "I don't see why you're worried about my social life."

"I'm more worried about your romantic life," Bo said, "You can't date that woman or have any type of physical relationship with her."

"_Gross on so many levels! He really thinks I would make out with my own sister!"_ his brain produced a mental image of his thoughts, _"Oh God, make it go away! Make the thoughts go away! Think about Mimi. That's right, think about my baby and how it felt to hold her in my arms." _Shawn's sickened expression turned to one of desire that made his father cringe.

"You can't see her," Bo said, "That would be wrong on so many levels."

His father's voice broke him out of his thoughts about Mimi, "Huh?" he asked, not hearing what he said.

"I said you can't date that girl."

"Why not?" Shawn challenged.

"Because I said so," Bo said, "end of discussion."

"Not end of discussion," Shawn said, "You have no say in my love life. You never had and never will."

"Belle…"

"That was my decision." Shawn said firmly cutting off his father. He didn't need a reminder of that train wreck and his father gloating when he thought he listened to him.

"You can't date her Shawn," Bo said, "she's not right for the family."

"I think she'd fit in perfectly here," Shawn said defiantly as he crossed his arms, "Almost like she was born to be in this family."

"You can't date her."

"I know that Dad," Shawn said, "There's just something about her that makes me not want to date her. It would be like dating my sister and that would not be Biblical if you know what I mean."

Bo let out a breath he wasn't aware that he was holding, "Good," he said, "just stay away from her."

"Whatever," Shawn said rolling her eyes.

"Do not talk back to me young man…" His lecture was cut off when Shawn grabbed his chest and fell to the ground in pain.

* * *

Mimi couldn't stop crying as she watched Ryan sharpen the tools in front of her, "Please Ryan," she begged, "Don't do this."

"Eye for an eye princess," Ryan said, "He took my daughter and I'm talking his."

"Emily killed herself," Mimi said, "she was sick. My father…"

"Your father drove her insane!" Ryan said, "He's the reason she is dead."

"She was sick and she didn't get help…" she was cut off with a slap in the face.

"He drove her insane," Ryan said, "and he will pay for his sins."

"Please don't do this to me," she begged, "you're mad at him not me."

"You're his little princess," Ryan said, "the way to hurt him the most is to kill you."

"Please," she begged with tears in her eyes, "You were my friend."

"I was your bodyguard," he snapped, "And that is as far as you thought of me." He grabbed a knife and cut the buttons off of her shirt. He pushed the ruined shirt to the side and made shallow cuts around her heart. She screamed at the pain as the blood flowed from her body.

* * *

"What's wrong?" Bo asked trying to lift his son's shirt to get a better look at the injury but met resistance from Shawn, "Let me look!" he ordered.

"I'm fine, I don't need a babysitter I can take care of myself!" Shawn said he moved his hand away from his chest and saw blood on his hand. He did a double take and saw nothing. He pushed his father aside and got up.

"You were just on the ground in pain," Bo snapped, "You're not fine."

"My chest just aches," Shawn said, "Probably from that bastard." He turned his back to his father and lifted his shirt up. He saw numerous cuts on his chest, "I'm bleeding," he said in a panic voice.

"What!" Bo said turning him around and looking at his chest, "I don't see anything."

"Are you blind!" Shawn screamed as he looked down, "It's all over….where did it go?"

"What's going on?"

"I'm just tired," Shawn said, "I think I need some sleep."

"I agree with you there," Bo said, "go get some sleep. No more running around tonight."

"Yes Sir," Shawn said as he walked towards the stairs, he couldn't shake this feeling that something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong and he had a feeling it had to do with Mimi. He shook his head of those thoughts. He didn't believe that two people could be connected like that. _"But what if they could be?"_ he wondered. And if his gut was right, she was in danger. He stopped at the stairs and turned towards Bo, "Dad?"

"Yeah son."

"Do you believe that two people can be so connected that they know if the other one was in danger or hurting?" He braced himself for his father's ridicule that he would even entertain such a stupid thought.

"Yes I do."

Shawn failed to withhold his surprise at his father's answer, "You do?"

"Yeah," Bo said, "me and your mother are connected like that. Whenever she is in danger I can sense it."

"Really?" Shawn said in disbelief. If his father, the world's biggest cynic, believed in it than it had to be true.

"Is why your chest hurts?" Bo asked, "And you think you saw blood?"

Shawn closed his eyes and lied to his father again by shaking his head 'no.'

"You sure?" Bo asked, "You can tell me anything son you know that."

"_Not everything,"_ he thought to himself. "I'm not seeing anyone Dad," Shawn said, "You know I've been putting the family first. No room for a love life."

"You need to make room for that Shawn," Bo said, "You need to continue own legacy. You promised."

"I'm fully aware of what I promised," Shawn said walking up the stairs, "I'm going to bed. Do not disturb me." When he got to his room he immediately went to the window and opened it. As he was climbing through it he felt that familiar ache in his heart. "She's in danger," he said to himself, "and I just spent the afternoon dinking around." Shawn climbed down the tree and ran to his motorcycle as he continued to chastise himself in his mind for not doing anything sooner. He pushed it down the driveway and around the block. When he felt it was far enough from his house he got on. He was about to start it when he phone rang. "What?" he barked.

"Boss it's me."

"I told you to never call me," Shawn said, "You don't exist remember."

"I know," he said, "but this is an emergency."

"What kind?" Shawn asked.

"The kind that would make me risk my family's life to contact you."

Shawn let out a low growl, he didn't have time to deal with this, "I don't have time for this," he said.

"Make time. Old dumping ground and boss, you should have been here an hour ago."

Shawn let out a frustrated growl as he jumped started his bike and sped off. When he reached the old dumping ground he was met by his caller. He turned off his bike and jumped off, "This better be good," Shawn said, his voice, "because I have someone to find."

"Remember the incident that never happened."

"Which one?"

"The most recent."

Shawn let out a grunt of frustration and grabbed him by the collar, "I don't have time for riddles," he said, "Speak now Kevin before I kill you just because you're pissing me off and then I'll go make a home visit to the grieving widow and your children."

"The girl," he said, trying to hide his fear. He never saw his boss this angry before, "The one that I don't know and never made that thing for."

Shawn punched him, "I thought I told you no more riddles."

"Lockhart," Kevin said, "The Lockhart girl you wanted me to make a new identity for."

"What about her?"

"She's been kidnapped," Kevin said, "my sources say that it was about three hours ago."

"And you are now just telling me!" Shawn could only see red and if this minion didn't produce something good in the next few seconds he knew he would be killing his best minion tonight.

"I wanted something to report to you," Kevin said, "because I knew you'd probably kill me if the source turned out to be a lie."

"You're right about that."

"I found her," Kevin said as he pointed to an abandoned building, "she's in there with one Ryan Andrews. After some digging I found out that he used to work for the Lockhart's. He was her bodyguard. His daughter killed herself and sent him off the deep end. He vowed vengeance on David for killing his daughter."

"She killed herself though."

"David raped her," Kevin said, "and that's what drove her insane."

Shawn turned from Kevin and let out a laugh of disbelief, "Just when you think the bastard couldn't get any lower you find out he raped a woman his daughter's age."

"Ryan kidnapped Mimi," Kevin said, "this isn't a ransom, he wants her blood."

Shawn pulled out his cell phone and started scrolling, "We have to find her," he found the number he was looking for and was about to push 'send' when Kevin's voice stopped him.

"I already did," Kevin said, "He's in there." He pointed again to the building behind him and wondered why his boss forgot that bit of information the first time. He was starting to worry about his boss; this wasn't like him to forget details…especially something this important.

Shawn followed Kevin's finger to the warehouse behind him, "What are we waiting for?"

"I was waiting for you Sir," Kevin said, "I figured it would be the safest option for me to wait for your orders."

"Makes sense," Shawn said, as they started walking to the building, "but if he killed her already…"

"I know Sir," Kevin said, "but I got here two minutes before you. I called you immediately when I had the information. I know you don't like to talk business over the phone. Hence the face to face meeting."

Shawn grabbed his chest before he heard Mimi scream in pain and he started sprinting to the warehouse with Kevin on his heels. They looked into the window and saw Mimi tied to a table. Next to the table was instruments used by doctors. Shawn saw Ryan retract a knife from Mimi's chest. "He's a fucking dead man," Shawn growled beneath his breath.

"How do you want this to play out?"

"Him dead," Shawn said bluntly, "I'm going to cut him into thousands of pieces and feed him to the wild animals."

"Sounds perfect," Kevin said, "What do you want me to do?"

"Follow my lead," Shawn said as he walked to the door. He pushed the door open. He watched Ryan turn around as the door slammed against the wall. He noticed Mimi's face brighten when she saw him. She looked at him like she did when he saved her last time.

"Shawn-Douglas Brady," Ryan said, "I figured you'd want to join in the fun."

"You know me," Shawn said in a disgusted tone, "I'm always looking for ways to stick it to Lockhart."

Mimi's smile vanished when she noticed Shawn give his associate a nod her direction. She watched in terror as he walked towards her cracking his knuckles. _"Did Shawn just give him an order to harm me?"_ she thought, _"He's going to help Ryan kill me?"_ She looked at Shawn before his associate reached her. His facial expression was stone cold and his eyes were like ice. She couldn't read it at all. She looked at the figure hovering over her.

"Nightly night bitch," he said as he brought his hand back.

She screamed when his fist came at her face. She closed her eyes tight and waited for the impact that never came. She heard a noise that implied her face was hit, but she was unharmed. She opened her eyes and noticed that the associate was between her and Ryan. She could still see Shawn starring at her with his icy eyes. She was so confused.

"Close your eyes," Kevin whispered, "you're unconscious." He brought his fist back again and Mimi watched as he hit his on hand and not her face. She followed the silent order from Shawn and closed her eyes. Kevin moved out of the way and revealed the "unconscious" Mimi to Ryan and Shawn. He stayed by Mimi to protect her if Ryan got away from Shawn.

"How'd you find me?" Ryan said, bringing his attention back to Shawn.

"Easy," Shawn said, "You're a fucking idiot and I'm not."

Ryan's smile turned sour as he threw the knife on the table next to the others, "Do not come in here and insult me."

"I'll do whatever I want," Shawn said in a condescending tone, "I'm the one Salem fears and you're…you're nothing but scum under my shoe."

"This is my revenge," Ryan said, "I'll let you have your fun with her, but in the end I'm the one killing her."

"No," Shawn said, "this is my project you bastard. She's _my_ puppet to control and you're in the way of _my_ plans for her."

"I need to avenge my daughter's death."

"You're daughter was a fucking idiot like her father," Shawn spat out, "and _you_ need to stop fucking up with my plans. She's going to be the downfall of the Lockhart dynasty but in order for that to happen I need her to have a pulse."

"David Lockhart destroyed my daughter…"

"I don't give a flying fuck what you think," Shawn said, "you will not fuck up my plans for that woman. When Lockhart is destroyed you may have the girl. But not a minute before I say so."

"I'm done taking orders from fuck'n mobsters who think they own me," Ryan said, "I'm killing her and I'm sending her pieces to Daddy and there is nothing you can do about that."

Shawn just smiled before punching him in the nose, "That is the love of my life," Shawn said as he punched him again, "And if you think I'm going to let you do that to her you are one fucked up individual."

Ryan snickered before saying, "A Brady and a Lockhart, how Romeo and Juliet of you."

Shawn punched him again so hard you could hear his nose breaking. He punched Ryan again knocking him unconscious. "Tie him up," Shawn ordered as he moved to Mimi. He untied her restraints, "Baby," he said softly, "You're safe now."

Mimi opened her eyes and the tears flowed from her eyes. She was never so happy to see him then she was at this moment. When her arms were free she threw her arms around him.

Shawn wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, "Hey, hey, it's okay, it's okay baby," he cooed, "I'm here now. Nothing's going to happen to you. I won't let it." Mimi cried into his chest and mumbled words that he couldn't heard. "It's okay," he said softly as he kissed her forehead, "I'm here now." As he held her in his arms his heart ache went away, he knew that these words were true, she was safe now.


End file.
